


Product of Our Love

by PinkStorm



Category: Loki - Fandom, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adopted Children, Adoption, Angst and Feels, Awesome Frigga (Marvel), Childbirth, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Frigga (Marvel) Knows All, Frigga (Marvel) Lives, Jotunn Loki (Marvel), Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) Redemption, Married Couple, POV Female Character, POV First Person, POV Loki (Marvel), Pregnancy, Pregnant Reader, Protective Frigga (Marvel), Protective Loki (Marvel), Reader-Insert, Redemption, Sweet Loki (Marvel), Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-06-07
Packaged: 2020-03-29 09:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 21,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19017343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PinkStorm/pseuds/PinkStorm
Summary: While your husband, Loki, is away you discover you are pregnant with your first child. It should be happy news, right? Well, you aren't so sure. He had been so adamant about not wanting kids in the past. You're scared to tell him as you fear he might reject both you and the baby.





	1. Sick to Your Stomach

**Author's Note:**

> Loki leaves on a mission, leaving you at home on Asgard. Shortly after he leaves, however, you start feeling sick to your stomach.

“Do you really have to go?” You asked, your tone almost begging him to stay. For some reason, his departure was hitting you harder than normal.

Loki turned from his packing to look up at his downcast wife. He knew it was hard on you whenever he left Asgard, but if he wanted to be able to be with you at all he had to do it. He had to pay for his crimes and this was the determined way.

To make up for his sins, the Avengers and Odin made a bargain with Thor as the mediator. Under their tight supervision, Loki could regain his freedom by helping the Avengers whenever they required it.

If it wasn’t for you and Frigga, Loki probably wouldn’t have mended his ways. The two of you never stopped believing he could be a better person and be forgiven. Slowly but surely, you got through to him, and Loki wanted to be a better person for your sake and for his own. To do that, he had to own up to the mistakes of his past and work towards his redemption.

Loki pulls you into his embrace. “You know I have to, my love.”

He strokes your cheek gently with his left hand. You proceed to take his hand away from your face and kiss the back of his palm.

“Promise me you’ll come home safely.”

“I promise,” Loki assures you.

He smiles softly before planting a gentle kiss on your forehead.

“I love you,” He whispers.

“I love you too,” You whisper back, wrapping your arms around his neck and pulling him into a deep kiss.

Loki cups your face in his hands and begins to kiss you back when the two of you are swiftly interrupted by a loud banging on your bedroom door.

“Loki! Hurry up. We’ve got to go,” Thor shouted.

Loki sighed and pulls away from you. “I’ll be back in a week.”

You nod silently as you watch him pick up his suitcase and leave out the door.

After Loki left, you get yourself dressed and make your way down to the kitchen.

“Good morning, Milady! You here for your morning coffee?” Klein, the head chef, greets you upon your arrival.

You smile, “ You know me so well. Yes, please.”

“Coming right up then,” Klein smiled and nods.

You lean back against the kitchen counter as you wait for your coffee. Suddenly your stomach starts to feel yucky. You figured it was because you hadn’t eaten anything yet.

“Klein, could you add a plate of eggs, sausage, and a cup of grapefruit to my order?” You ask.

“Sure thing, Milady,” Klein replies, immediately heading to the fridge to get some eggs. “How would you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, please and thank you.”

“As you wish.”

When Klein finished your order you took it out to the garden to eat. It was a warm, sunshiny day in Asgard, and you thought you’d eating outside would lift your spirits a little.

You took a bite of the eggs. To your unpleasant surprise, they tasted funny. Strange. You moved on the sausage and had the same experience. You trusted Klein’s cooking, so maybe it was just that your tastebuds were off today. On the other hand, you thoroughly enjoyed the bowl of grapefruit.

__

Meanwhile, Loki arrived with Thor at the Avengers headquarters. They were hanging out in the common area, waiting for Steve and Tony to show up to go over the briefing for the next mission.

Thor was currently engaged in conversation with Natasha and Bruce, while Loki stood idly away from the others. Understandably, the others weren’t too fond of him even if he was attempting to mend his ways. He knew he didn’t deserve their forgiveness, so he did his best to stay out of their way.

Loki conjured a photograph of you and him from your wedding day. To him, you looked beautiful every day but there was something special about seeing you in that white dress. Memories of that day were very dear to him because that was the day you willingly choose to permanently stick with him despite all his flaws and baggage. The photograph also served as a reminder that he didn’t deserve you and that he was so lucky you chose him.

“You really love her, don’t you?” someone spoke from over his shoulder.

Loki turned and saw Clint. A wave of guilt coursed through him. He had made Clint do some pretty terrible things in the past when he took control over his mind.

“Yes, I do,” He answered.

“I can tell. The way you look at that photograph is the same way I look at my wife,” Clint said, crossing his arms.

“She means everything to me,” Loki admitted. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without her.”

“That’s for sure.”

A tense silence fell between the two men.

“I’m sorry for what I did to you,” Loki apologized hesitantly. “You don’t have to believe me, and I certainly don’t deserve your forgiveness. But I am truly sorry.”

Clint’s eyes shifted to the photograph then back at Loki.

“Apology accepted. I won’t judge you on your worst mistake, especially since you’ve seemed genuinely willing to change,” He responded.

“Thank you.”

Clint nodded silently before walking away.

“ _Even from millions of miles away, you’re still helping me out_ ,” Loki thought, staring back at the picture.

__

As the day progressed, the yucky feeling in your stomach only grew worse. You began to feel very nauseous, so you opted to spend the rest of the day in your room. And though you did your best to rest, your condition only seemed to worsen. Soon you were throwing up as well. Every few hours you would awaken from your uncomfortable slumber in order to puke into the toilet bowl. Long story short, you felt awful.

You weren't sure whether you should feel relieved or upset over the fact that Loki wasn't here while you were like this. On the one hand, you didn't want him to see you in this condition. On the other, you wanted nothing more at the moment than for Loki to hold you in his arms, whispering sweet nothings in your ear and telling you that everything was going to be okay.

The next morning Frigga visited your quarters to check up on you.

“How are you feeling, darling? Any better?” the queen inquired.

You sat on the edge of the bed, “No, not really. My stomach still feels nauseous and I last threw up an hour ago.”

Frigga gives you a look of concern before drawing closer. She put her hand on your forehead.

“Hmm. You don’t really seem to have that much of a fever. Do you think it was something you ate?”

“I don’t believe so,” You answered. “I only had a bite of eggs and sausage, but they tasted weird so I didn't finish them. I did have a bowl of grapefruit though. All of them prepared by Klein yesterday, so I don't think it's food poisoning. Besides my stomach started feeling funny before I ate any of that.” 

Suddenly you felt the urge to vomit again. You swiftly got yourself up and rushed to the bathroom.

While you were taking care of that, the queen pondered your condition.

“I wonder...” She muttered softly under her breath.

She headed into the bathroom after you and pulled your hair out of the way until you finished.

“Thank you,” You said while washing your hands.

“No problem, my dear,” Frigga smiled warmly. She paused for a brief moment, “____, I’m just guessing here. I could be wrong. But is it possible that you could be pregnant?”

You froze.


	2. Mother's Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Your pregnancy is confirmed, but your concern overshadows your joy at the news. When he returns at the end of the week, Loki is distraught by his wife's sudden distant behavior. He decides to turn to the only other person he believes can help him with the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy the next installment of Product of Our Love. ^^

Frigga had summoned the royal physician to your quarters at once. You held your breath as the physician did her tests.  
  
“Congratulations, Milady, you are in fact pregnant,” the physician finally reveals her findings.  
  
Your eyes widen in shock while Frigga smiles wide.  
  
“My first grandchild!” She beamed.  
  
“Please don’t tell anyone,” You begged the physician.  
  
“Of course, Milady. The news is not mine to share,” the physician nods before taking her leave.  
  
“Congrats, my dear,” Frigga begins to congratulate you, but then she notices your seemingly frightened expression. “What’s wrong, ____? Did you not want children?”  
  
“No, I wanted them. I've wanted them for as long as I can remember. It’s just- ... Loki doesn’t,” Your head falls into your hands. What were you going to do now?  
  
“I see,” Frigga pursed her lips. “I do recall my youngest son mentioning that in the past.”  
  
The queen took a seat next to you on the edge of the bed. She wraps her arms around you.  
  
“What am I going to do?” You ask as tears start to form at your eyelids. “I thought I was being so careful?”  
  
“Sometimes this happens despite the odds stacked against it,” Frigga replies. “It’s going to be okay, my dear. Remember, you’re not alone. I am here to support you.”  
  
You couldn’t muster a response. The tears finally escaped from your eyes, rolling down your cheeks.  
  
“Everything will work out, ____. I promise,” The Queen reassures you.  
  
__  
  
Back on Midgard, Loki was restless in his sleep. Not being able to sleep soundly, Loki got up and went out to the balcony area. He looked up at the night sky and sighed.  
  
“A penny for your thoughts, brother?” Thor’s voice suddenly rang out from behind him. He drew near until he stood at Loki’s side.  
  
“I just couldn’t sleep,” He muttered.  
  
“I can see that,” said Thor. “Any particular reason why?”  
  
Loki fell silent for a moment. Then he took a deep breath, “I’m sure it’s probably nothing. Just my overactive imagination, but something has been bothering me since before we left to come here.”  
  
“And what is that?” Thor inquired.  
  
“It’s ____. You’re going to think this sounds weird, but it's like the aura around her feels different. Strangely, it feels a little bit like my own,” Loki admitted.  
  
“I don’t understand what you mean. Her aura?" Thor said puzzled. "Could you rephrase what you're trying to say?”  
  
“I don’t know if I can. I don’t quite understand it myself. It's just something feels different about her to me,” He replied.  
  
“She didn’t seem any different to me when I last saw her,” Thor responded, trying to ease his brother’s concern.  
  
“I’m sure it’s nothing then. Probably just my anxiety over having to leave her.” Loki briefly paused. “What if she gets fed up with the continual absences? What if she leaves me? I’d have no right to stop her.”  
  
“Loki, you know that’s ridiculous. ____ loves you,” Thor reminds him. “Mother, I, and many other Asgardians can clearly see that.”  
  
His brother’s words did comfort him. But only a little. Loki wanted nothing more at this moment than to have you back wrapped up in his arms. He always felt more sure of your love when you were actually by his side.  
  
Two days down. Five more to go. He hoped that the rest of the week would fly by.  
  
Unfortunately for both of you, the week seemed to drag on for a very long time.  
  
__  
  
You rushed to the palace entrance. Frigga trailed behind you, chuckling happily to herself upon witnessing your excitement. It had been announced that Thor and Loki had returned to Asgard and were on their way back to the palace. When you arrived the brothers were already standing there.  
  
“Loki,” You breathed as you tried catching your breath.  
  
At the sound of his name, Loki turned and saw you. His eyes lit up at the sight of you. You instantly ran into in his arms to which he firmly drew you into his embrace.  
  
“Welcome home, my son,” Frigga smiled as she came up behind you.  
  
“Glad to be back, mother,” Thor replied accepting her outstretched arms for a hug.  
  
When he pulled away, both he and the queen glanced over at you and Loki.  
  
“It’s like they’re in their own little world,” Thor chuckled.  
  
“There’s nothing wrong with showing affection to your spouse,” Frigga said, taking her elder son by the arm. “Come and tell me all about your adventures this time.”  
  
The two walked away, giving you and Loki some more privacy.  
  
“Mind if we picked up where left off?” Loki asks you.  
  
“If by that you mean you’re going to kiss me, then by all means yes,” You smile wide.  
  
Loki smiled back before cupping your face in his hands. His lips passionately met yours. You closed your eyes and wrapped your arms around his neck, kissing him back just a passionately.  
  
After a while, Loki finally broke the kiss.  
  
“Oh how I missed you,” He said softly as he brought your head to rest against his chest. He wrapped his arms around your waist and held you tight.  
  
“I missed you too,” You whispered.  
  
“Did anything exciting develop while I was away?” Loki inquired.  
  
To his surprise, he felt your body stiffen in his arms. You pulled away from him.  
  
“No, nothing happened,” You said, avoiding his eyes. You take his hand and drag him along. “Come on, I’m starving. Let’s get something to eat.”  
  
From that moment on Loki was worried he did something wrong. All of the sudden, you were barely making eye contact with him. You had become more quiet than usual, only answering things when someone asked you a question. In addition, you seemed constantly distant and distracted.  
  
The strange behavior of yours continued throughout the day, deeply concerning him. He decided to confront you on the matter when the two of you were alone in your chambers that night.  
  
“Did I do something to offend you, my love?” Loki finally got up the courage to ask you as you came out of the bathroom after getting ready for bed.  
  
“N-no, you haven’t done anything wrong,” You replied still avoiding meeting his eyes. “I’m just tired. That’s all.”  
  
Before Loki could say anything else, you ducked under the covers and closed your eyes.  
  
He did not get the response he was looking for. In fact, now he was more worried even though you had said he hadn’t done anything wrong. Loki didn’t want to push you though. Maybe his mother knew something. You and she were really close. Loki decided he would ask her first thing in the morning.  
  
___  
  
“To what do I owe the pleasure of your company, my dear?” Frigga asked as Loki stepped into her office. “Something to do with ____ I assume.”  
  
“How did you know?” He inquired.  
  
“Based on her behavior yesterday and the expression on your face when you walked in, it isn’t hard to put two and two together,” Frigga replied. “Besides, I have a little more background knowledge than you do on the situation.”  
  
“So you do know what’s wrong with her?”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Did I do something wrong?”  
  
“Indirectly.”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Loki asked slightly irritated as his mother’s one-word answers. “Mother, please don’t play with me. This is a very serious matter to me.”  
  
Frigga sighed knowingly, “I’m very much aware of that fact, Loki. Which is why I can’t, or rather shouldn’t, give the answers you’re looking for.”  
  
Loki was at a loss for what to do. His wife didn’t want to talk to him and his mother refused to give him help.  
  
The queen was disheartened to see her son so downcast. It was clear to her that his mind was trying its best to come up with the answers he sought, but was failing miserably. Loki took a lot after herself. His mind was sharp and he was usually very perceptive of other people. Always quick to figure out what others were thinking. But when it came to his wife he always seemed to struggle.  
  
“I cannot give you the answers you seek, for I believe you should hear the truth straight from ____,” Frigga spoke up.  
  
“But she won’t talk to me, mother!” Loki snapped. He paused and regained his composure, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have yelled at you.”  
  
“You’re forgiven, son. I realize you are currently very stressed. And while I won’t give you answers, I will offer some advice,” the queen said. “Be patient with ____. Just like how you are stressed right now, so is she. One thing the two of you have in common is trying to figure things out on your own. She too is currently trying to find her own answers.”  
  
Loki opened his mouth to say something, but Frigga cut him off.  
  
“Let me finish,” she told him. “When she does eventually open up to you, I recommend being open-minded to what she tells you. Also, probably most importantly, do your best to not react negatively.”  
  
“Why would I react negatively?” Loki frowned. “She’s not cheating on me, is she?”  
  
“Loki,” Frigga said sternly, knitting her eyebrows together. She put her hands on her hips. “You should be ashamed of yourself for suggesting such a thing.”  
  
“Y-you’re right,” Loki looked away from his mother’s disappointed gaze. “I wouldn’t blame her if she were though.”  
  
The queen drew close to him and turned his face to look at her.  
  
“Loki, if there is one thing you should never doubt, it is the fact that ____ loves you,” Frigga told him, her eyes filled with sympathy. “You need to stop beating yourself up for your past mistakes. Learn from them, but don’t be enslaved by them.”  
  
At the moment he could give her no more than a bittersweet smile in response.  
  
“Thank you, mother. I’ll heed your advice regarding ____,” Loki thanked her before taking a bow and taking his leave.  
  
“Good luck, son,” Frigga smiled softly as he left.  
  
__  
  
When you awoke, Loki’s side of the bed was empty. You didn’t know whether to be relieved or worried by that. You knew you weren’t being fair in your current behavior towards him. He deserved to know the truth, but... you were scared.  
  
Your hand fluttered down to your stomach. What if Loki rejected your baby? What if he rejected you? He had been so adamant about not wanting children when you had brought up the subject in the past.  
  
A wave of nausea washes over you. You scramble out of bed and into the bathroom, kneeling over the toilet.  
  
In the middle of your vomiting session, Loki returned to the room.  
  
“____? Are you here?” He called out before his ears picked up a sound coming from the bathroom.  
  
He cautiously entered in but then instantly rushed to your side when he caught sight of you.  
  
“____, are you alright?!” He asks concerned, quickly holding up your hair for you.  
  
“I’m perfectly fine. Just puking up my guts out. Never felt better,” You retort sarcastically before leaning back over the toilet bowl.  
  
Loki chuckled slightly and waited patiently for you to finish. The two of you stood back up as you went to wash your hands.  
  
After drying off your hands, Loki places his palm on your forehead.  
  
“You don’t seem to have a fever. It might just be a stomach bug, or maybe you ate something funny,” Loki suggested.  
  
Seeing Loki’s present concern for your wellbeing made you feel guilty. You knew you had to come clean.  
  
“N-no, it’s not either one of those,” You replied, a sad smile crept across lips.  
  
“____, what’s wrong? How do you know that?” Loki asked, eyes full of concern looking desperately into your own searching for answers.  
  
You swallowed and took a deep breath as a weak attempt to calm your nerves.  
  
“I’ve already been checked out by the royal physician,” You begin to tell him.  
  
“What did she say it was?”  
  
“Loki... I- I-,” Your eyes shift to the ground. “I’m pregnant...”  
  
Nothing happened. Loki hadn't spoken, moved, or much less breathed since you confessed the truth. Unable to bear the silence and anxious anticipation anymore, you look back up at him.  
  
Loki’s eyes were wide with horror. His expression was deeply shocked and pained. He stared at you in such disbelief, that you felt like you had betrayed him in some way.  
  
It wasn’t the response you had wanted. In fact, it was one of the ones you feared most.  
  
“Loki, I-“ You start to attempt to fumble out an explanation.  
  
But before you can say anything else, Loki vanishes into thin air.  
  
You sank to your knees, instantly regretting telling him. Tears streamed down your face as the hurt from his blatant rejection sunk in. He didn’t want the baby. And for all you know, he no longer wanted you.


	3. Fears & Risks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki reacted just as you had feared, but not exactly for the reason you think. Not knowing how to handle the situation, he returns to Frigga's office for more advice.

Loki burst back into Frigga’s office.

“I didn’t expect to see you back here so soon,” Frigga said, getting up from her desk. “Did you talk to ____?”

“She’s pregnant!?” Loki cried in a mixture of disbelief and fear.

“Well that answers my question,” Frigga noted. “Why are you here and not by her side if you know the truth? Don’t tell me you ran the second she told you the news.”

“Not the very second...” Loki replied guiltily.

“Loki!” She said very cross with him. She couldn’t believe he had actually ran away. “I told you not to react negatively.”

“She can’t be pregnant, mother.”

“She can and she is, Loki. What’s so wrong with that?” Frigga was fuming. “I can’t believe you left her. What on Asgard were you thinking?! Do you dislike children so much that you would reject your own child?”

“I don’t dislike children, and I wouldn’t reject my own child,” Loki defended himself. “Do you think that low of me?”

“Then why are you so against having children?” Frigga asked angrily.

“Because I’m scared!” Loki snapped.

The queen was taken aback. In all the countless years she has been alive she has never once heard Loki admit to being scared of something. 

“My son, what could you possibly be so afraid of that you wouldn’t want children of your own?” Frigga inquired, using a much softer tone this time.

Loki grimaced. “I’m afraid to be a father. What if I end up like Odin, no offense to you, or worse Laufey? What if I screw the kid up worse than I am?”

“You won’t,” Frigga said, gently rubbing his right cheek.

Tears were forming in his eyelids, making the queen realize just how strong of a fear this was for him. Loki never cried.

“How do you know that?” He asked, voice cracking as he did.

“Because you are neither Odin nor Laufey. You are capable of making the same mistakes as them, but you are equally capable of choosing not to make those mistakes. You can learn from those mistakes rather than repeat them,” Frigga rested her forehead against his. “Besides, you won’t be parenting alone. You have ____ by your side.”

Frigga let those words sink into Loki’s mind for a moment.

She smiled softly, “Plus you’ll have me whenever you need me.”

“Go to your wife and make things right,” Frigga pulled away from him. “Be sure to tell her what you told me. She’ll understand, I promise. You married an amazing girl.”

“Thank you,” Loki breathed.

Frigga nodded, smiling warmly before she pushed her son out the door.

__

Loki paced back and forth in the hall outside of the bedroom door. He had screwed up royally. Running away was probably one of the worst ways he could've handled the situation. Thor was supposed to the one who reacted rashly without putting any thought into his actions. That wasn't him. Or at least it wasn't him normally. When it came to you he seemed to lose all his typical cool.

He took a deep breath and reentered the room to find you curled up against the wall, sitting on the floor sobbing. Your face was down buried in your knees as you rocked back and forth. His heart winced as he witnessed how much his reaction had hurt you. He slowly made is way over and knelt down in front of you.

“____,” He called out gently.

You flinched as you heard him utter your name. You hadn’t realized he had come in.

“I’m so sorry, my love,” Loki apologized, feeling immensely awful for what he did. “I shouldn’t have run away like that.”

He proceeded to pick you up in his arms and carry you to the bed. He sat you down on his lap, securing you tightly in his arms.

“I’m so sorry. I thought I was being so careful. I- I-,” You sobbed.

“You have absolutely nothing to apologize for,” Loki runs his fingers through your hair. “I should have never told that I didn’t want kids. That wasn’t fair to you. Especially since I was aware that you secretly wanted them, even though you never vocalized it to me.”

“But-“

“No, love. Please hear me out,” Loki cut you off. “I don’t dislike kids, that’s not why I didn’t want them. Rather I was, and still kind of am, afraid.”

“Afraid?” You repeated confused.

Loki took a deep breath. “Afraid that if I became a father I would turn out to be like Odin or Laufey. Scared I'd put my child through the same things I experienced from my fathers or worse.”

He paused for a moment.

“I hope you know I would never reject our child,” Loki told you. “There’s no way I could hate something that’s a product of our love.”

“Then you’re already a better father than both Odin and Laufey combined,” You responded, sitting up in his lap and turning around to wrap your arms behind his neck.

That one line from your lips made Loki the happiest man in the universe at that moment. Somehow you always found the exact words he needed to hear. He felt so stupid for running away earlier. Unconsciously, a soft, loving smile crept onto his lips as he stared at you in awe.

“I don’t know what I did to make you fall in love someone like me, but I am the luckiest man in the universe because you do,” Loki stroked your cheek.

“Kiss me then,” You pleaded cutely.

Loki didn’t need to be told a second time. He instantly crushed his lips up against yours. You opened your mouth to let him kiss you more deeply. He eagerly accepted your invitation.

After a while, he pushed you gently on the bed and chuckled as he broke the kiss.

“What’s funny?” you asked, staring up at him and frowning slightly because he stopped.

“Not so much funny. More along the lines of things now make more sense and I should’ve realized the truth sooner,” Loki answers as he leans over you. “You being pregnant with our child makes sense of why I thought your aura had changed to be a little bit more like mine. It’s because you're carrying my kid.”

With that he resumed by kissing your neck, causing a slight moan to escape your lips. Loki’s eyes flickered with excitement.

“You better be prepared. I’ll be keeping you in this room for a while,” Loki warned.

“Finally,” You breathed. “It’s been so long since you last properly cared for me.”

A mischievous grin spread across Loki’s lips.

__

The sight of Loki sleeping soundly at you your side. The fact that you were carrying his child and he accepted that. The very fact that he was yours. All these things currently made you the happiest woman in the universe.

You gently brush a lock of hair out of Loki’s face then kiss his forehead. He failed to suppress the grin on his face as you did, revealing that he was actually awake.

“We need to get up,” You told him. “Family dinner’s tonight.” 

“I don’t want to go,” Loki wraps his arms around your waist and nestles his head on your lap.

“You know her majesty gets cross when one of us doesn’t show up to family dinner,” You roll your eyes.

“You can apologize for our absence later. She'll accept it much better from you.”

“Loki,” You warned firmly, but you were also trying to suppress a laugh.

“Fine,” Loki sat up. “But you're going to have to reward me for going later.”

“I think I can manage that,” You smile, hopping out of the bed.

Five minutes later, the two of you showed up in the dining room hand in hand. Odin sat on the far end at the head of the table, while Frigga sat on his right and Thor sat next to her. You took the seat on Odin’s left, distancing him from Loki. 

While you still maintained your respect for Odin as Asgard’s king, you were personally not very fond of your father-in-law. Not after everything he put Loki through. 

“I was beginning to think the two of you weren’t going to show up,” Frigga commented. 

Though her words appeared to be getting on them, her tone was pleasant. She was happy to see the two of you walk into together.

“Wouldn’t have wanted to make you cross with me twice in one day, now would I?” Loki replied.

“Twice? What did you do the first time?” Thor asked.

Loki glanced over at you and you connected the dots.

“So she’s what got you to return so quickly,” You grinned knowingly.

“I will admit mother helped in pointing me in the right direction and clearing up my thoughts and emotions,” Loki answered.

You turned to Frigga and smiled. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome my dear,” Frigga nodded. “I told you everything would work out.”

“How long did the two of you know?” Loki inquired. 

“The second day of your most recent mission to Midgard,” You answered.

A fresh wave of guilt washed over Loki. “Were you worried about my reaction that whole time?”

You grimaced, not wanting Loki to feel worse about the situation than he already did. 

Frigga answered instead. “She was.”

“I’m so sorry,” He apologized.

“It’s fine. Everything turned out well in the end. Don’t let the matter add to your burdens,” You respond, your eyes desperately pleading with him to not feel guilty over the situation.

“Care to enlighten Thor and me on what the three of you are talking about?” Odin finally spoke up.

“The situation is not mine to reveal,” Frigga replied. “It’s up to the two of them.”

You shifted uncomfortably in your chair. You weren’t sure if you were ready to share the news with others.

Loki’s hand squeezed yours under the table.

“There is no pressure for you to tell them yet,” He reassured you.

You proceed to awkwardly mull it over for a moment. You came to the conclusion that the news was like a band-aid. It’s better if you just ripped it off.

You took a deep breath, “I’m pregnant.”

“Yes, finally! I’m going to be an uncle!” Thor exclaimed also instantaneously upon hearing your announcement.

Frigga chuckled.

“Congratulations,” Odin said, his tone completely neutral.

“Thank you, your Majesty,” you responded politely.

Though Odin masked it well, there was something about Odin’s expression that worried Loki. He had no interest in starting a conversation with his father though, so he decided to let it slide for now.

__

After dinner Odin called Loki aside to talk to him. You were worried, but Loki reassured you that he could handle Odin.

“Shall we listen in?” Frigga came up behind you as you watched Loki walk off with his father.

“Can we?” You ask, not hiding the nervous desperation in your tone.

“Of course we can,” Frigga smiled reassuringly.

“How?”

“I have my ways, dearie,” Frigga said as she takes you by the arm and leads you to her office.

You were confused. “How are we supposed to hear them from here?”

Frigga pulls you over to a large basin on a pedestal in the far corner of the room. Letting go, she waved her hands over it and a large flame flickered to life in the basin. 

“With this I can witness anything happening within the palace walls,” Frigga informs you before waving her hand over the flame.

A crystal clear image of Loki and Odin in the throne room appeared in flame as she did. Frigga’s magic never ceased to amaze you. She had been training you in magic ever since you had entered the palace, but your skills paled into comparison.

Meanwhile, the king and Loki were in the midst of their conversation. You and Frigga listened in.

“Who’s more important to you?” Odin asked. “____ or the baby?”

“What kind of ridiculous question is that?” Loki snarled back defensively.

“I am only asking you for your sake. There may come a time here shortly when you have to choose between them,” Odin replied.

“What nonsense are you going on about?” Loki’s eyebrows furrowed.

“If this child is truly your offspring, then it’ll be half frost giant.”

Loki’s fists clenched at his sides. He gritted his teeth. He hated it when Odin brought up his true heritage.

“Yes. What’s your point?” Loki asked.

“Asgardian women aren’t built to bear frost giant babies,” Odin informed him. “At birth they are much larger than Asgardian babies. On top of that, it takes less time for frost giant babies to become fully developed, meaning it would be likely that ____ could give birth long before her body is ready for it.”

Loki masked his emotions from Odin. He gave away no hint of what he was truly thinking at the moment.

“This pregnancy runs the high risk of ____’s life being in grave danger,” Odin continued when Loki wasn’t saying anything. “If ____ is more important to you, it would be in your best interest to terminate the pregnancy now before it’s too late.”

“If that’s all you have to say, I’ll be taking my leave now,” Loki responded flatly. 

His tone gave off the air of indifference to what Odin had said, but his eyes revealed something different. There was pure rage in his gaze. Odin’s words made Loki seethe with anger.

“You may not believe me, but I am only telling this for your and ____’s sakes,” Odin stared at his son’s back as he walked away from him. “Can you really bear to lose ____?”

The loud slamming of the door as Loki left the throne room was the only response given. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Odin said under his breath.

__

You were trembling. Your shaking hands fluttered down protectively to your stomach. Suddenly you knees gave way. Luckily Frigga caught you before you crashed to the ground.

“____, take a deep breath,” Frigga tries to calm you.

“It’s his grandchild. How could he even suggest terminating our baby?” You asked, your tone panicked. “Just because it’s part frost giant?”

“I promise you my husband only said those things because he’s actually concerned about your wellbeing and wanted to make Loki aware of the danger you may face,” Frigga responded softly as she swept your bangs behind your right ear. “His heart’s in the right place even if he has no tact.”

You grimaced, having a hard time believing that. You could never fathom how Odin got a woman as amazing as Frigga for his wife. He didn’t deserve her, but for Thor and Loki’s sakes, you were glad she was with him.

“Come, I’ll walk you back to your room,” Frigga helps you back on your feet. “You and Loki are going to have to talk this one out.”


	4. Why Do You Love Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki learns that you overheard his conversation with Odin and is at a complete loss for what to do. However, the situation does bring about the answer to the question he had been dying to have answered for a very long time.

Loki was seething. More than anything though, he was pissed that Odin was technically right in this situation. Having a half frost giant baby put you at high risk and Loki couldn’t bear the thought of that.

Odin’s last words were stuck in Loki’s thoughts.

“Can you really bear to lose ____?”

Unfortunately, Loki already knew the answer to that haunting question. No, he could it. You were everything to him. He would be utterly lost without you.

The mixture of guilt and rage stopped him in his tracks as he reached your bedroom door. With his emotions in such turmoil, he didn’t know how he was going to face you.

Agonizing minutes passed by. Loki decided he wouldn’t say anything just yet. Not until he was able to calm down and be able to think about the situation with a clearer perspective. He didn’t want to make an emotionally-charged decision he’d later regret.

Taking a deep breath, Loki pushed open the door.

You were standing there in the middle of the room, appearing as if you had been desperately awaiting his arrival. Which you had, but Loki didn’t know that. Your face was downcast. It was faint, but Loki could see that your whole body was trembling. Your eyes clearly appeared as if they were on the verge of tears.

“ _Oh no_ ,” Loki thought. “ _What else could have happened to add to this awful night?_ ”

He drew close and enwrapped you in his arms.

“My love, what’s wrong?” He dared to ask.

“I’m not terminating the pregnancy, Loki,” You answer as the tears finally begin streaming down your face.

Loki stiffened.

“How did you kno-?” Loki started to question. He quickly came up with the answer on his own though. “Mother.”

You nodded silently, head buried in his chest.

“How much did you two hear?” Loki held his breath.

“All of it.”

That had been the answer Loki was afraid of. Neither one of you could figure out what to say to the other next. But the silence between the two of you was deafening.

“Let’s discuss this in the morning,” Loki finally spoke. “Give ourselves some time to calm down.”

You simply gave him one slight, silent nod before breaking away from his embrace.

Loki’s heart felt crushed seeing you in this state. He wanted desperately to fix it but didn’t know how. What had you done to deserve a life tied you to him and all his problems?

If you had married any other Asgardian, you would be happy right now. You’d have a husband who wasn’t constantly leaving you to make up for some grievous crimes he had committed in the past. You wouldn’t have had to fear your husband rejecting you or your baby upon discovering you were pregnant. The husband probably would’ve been overjoyed at the news and hugged and kissed you instantly rather than run away in fear. Your life wouldn’t currently be at risk because of some wretched heritage. Your baby would be fully Asgardian. Fully accepted. Fully loved.

That’s the life you deserved. Loki hated himself for not being able to give that life to you...to your child.

__

Loki’s sleep was restless that night. He couldn’t stop tossing and turning. He was constantly falling in and out of sleep. Eventually, he decided it would just be better for him to stay awake.

He sat up in bed and glanced over to your side of the bed. His eyes widened in panicked horror as it was empty. He looked around the room desperately, but you were nowhere to be seen and the lights weren’t on in the bathroom.

Loki scrambled out of bed and was about to leave the room to go search for you when out of the corner of his eye he noticed that the balcony door was open. He peeked out the door and there you were. Your silhouette gazing up peacefully at the starry night sky. A wave of relief crashed over Loki at the sight of you.

“What are you doing up?” Loki walked up behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist and resting his head upon your shoulder.

“I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t stop thinking about...” You drift off.

Loki remained silent. He still didn’t have the answers he was looking for yet. He wasn't prepared for this conversation. Yet it didn't seem to be waiting for him to be.

“Our child is also half Asgardian,” You continued softly. “There’s a chance that Odin’s concerns are completely unfounded.”

“But there’s a chance that they aren't,” Loki said reflexively.

He silently cursed his habit of playing the devil’s advocate.

“I know. I’m not foolish enough to disregard everything the Allfather says just because I’m not particularly fond of him as a person. What he said had some validity to it,” You admitted. “But regardless of whether he is right or wrong...”

You paused and turned around in Loki’s arms. You stared directly into his eyes. It was absolutely vital that Loki be on the same page as you on this.

“This child, as you said before, is a product of our love. I couldn’t live with myself if I ever did something to destroy that,” You told him. Your hands rest on your stomach. “I love this child, your child, Loki. And I will do whatever it takes to protect them.”

Loki’s faced was pained as you said those words.

“Please don’t do this to me,” He begged. His voice cracked as he said it. “I can’t lose you.”

You reach up and stroke his cheek, “Love, don’t speak as if I am doomed to die from this. We do not know that. You’re judging this whole thing based on Odin’s speculations.”

Fear was not something you often saw on Loki. But right now it was the only thing you saw in his eyes.

“I’m nothing without you,” He spoke.

“That’s not true,” You refuted.

“I’m nothing good without you,” He revised.

“Wrong again,” You smiled. “You’re Loki. The Second Prince of Asgard burdened with glorious purpose. You’re the god of mischief who excites people out of their boring everyday lives. You are Frigga’s son and the beloved younger brother of Thor. You are the man who works behind the scenes to make sure Asgard runs smoothly and that its people are happy and safe. You are the father of the first grandchild of the royal family. And you are the man I fell deeply and utterly in love with.”

You reached up and kissed him.

“Why do you love me?” He asked pulling away. “By every stretch of my imagination I cannot fathom what I did to draw you to me, especially when I was at my worst.”

“I love you for many reasons. You’re charming. Handsome. Intuitive and wickedly smart. You cherish me. You’re loyal to me. You accepted me with all my flaws and shortcomings,” You started to list off.

“I don’t think I have the right to reject anyone because of their flaws,” Loki interrupts.

“You may be right,” You chuckle softly before taking a long, knowing sigh. “But these aren’t the answers you’re looking for, are they? You want to know why I fell for you in the first place, right?”

He nodded and stared at you in anticipation. He had wanted to know the answer to that particular question for a very long time, but you had always sidetracked the conversation away from the topic.

When he was thrown in prison for his crimes against Midgard, all of the sudden you had appeared in his life visiting him alongside Frigga. From that day on, you had worked endlessly to get him to see the errors of his ways and to figure out some way to lift, or at least lighten, his sentence. You had even personally traveled to Midgard after convincing Thor to take you there so that you could beg for forgiveness on his behalf and see if there was any way Loki could amend for his crimes. Loki would still be rotting in a jail cell if it wasn’t for you. Why had you suddenly appeared at that moment and why on Asgard were you willing to go so far for someone like him.

“Truth-be-told, it’s not a day I’m particularly fond of. The day I first met you was not a happy one. It was the day the army from the realm of Muspelheim invaded Asgard,” Your eyes glanced away from Loki. Remembering this day was painful. “While Odin, Thor, and the Asgardian army were battling against the Fire Demons, you and a small band of others were making sure the civilians were evacuated out of harm's way. My whole family, both my parents and my four younger siblings were killed that day as part of the civilian casualties.”

You paused as the memories flooded back to you. The image of the scorched dead bodies of your family burned in your mind. You had never spoken of your family to Loki. It was another subject you had avoided talking to him about.

Loki winced at the sight of the pained expression that currently stained your face. He remembered that day. It happened 67 years ago. Though Asgard eventually triumphed, tons of civilians and soldiers were lost that day.

“Love, you don’t have to continue if it’s too painful,” Loki spoke gently to you. “I don’t need to know.”

“I-It’s fine,” You shook your head. Still not looking up at him. “You don’t seem to remember this, but you actually saved my life that day. I was about to be killed by the same demon who killed off the rest of my family when you suddenly appeared from behind him and sliced off his head. ... I would not be here today if it wasn’t for you.”

Loki held his breath. The memory of that instance resurfaced in his mind. He had forgotten all about that moment. So you had been the girl he saved that day.

“Ever since that day I decided to support you instead of Thor for the throne. On the sidelines, of course, since I didn't have any real connection to you back then,” You continued. “Frigga’s the only other one who I’ve told this story to. It was what convinced her to allow me to visit you while you were in prison.”

Tears dripped down from your eyelids as you finished. “Loki, my love for you isn’t superficial. I truly do love you despite your strong doubts.”

Frigga words rang in Loki’s ears, “Loki, if there is one thing you should never doubt, it is the fact that ____ loves you.”

“I do not care if you are a frost giant. I do not regret marrying you. I do not regret having this child,” You press your face into his chest, clutching tightly at his shirt. “It’s the greatest gift you could have given me. Having you and your child are what makes me glad I didn’t die alongside the rest of my family that day. You have no idea how many years I wished I had. Please don’t ask me to give up our child.”

“I won’t. Ever again. I promise,” He swore, tightening his embrace around you. How could he refuse?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is a little shorter. It just felt like ending it as I did was the best choice. I will be working to get chapter 5 out to you guys as soon as possible.


	5. Return to Midgard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For the most part, your pregnancy seems to be going smoothly. There is one thing that concerns Loki though. But before he can discuss the matter with you in depth, once again Loki is summoned to Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter to move the plot along. Hope you enjoy!

You were still fast asleep but Loki was curious. He placed his fingers delicately down on your stomach. Were you really pregnant? He almost couldn’t fully believe it. After everything that happened, he was surprised by how happy he found himself at the thought of you carrying his child.

You stirred in your sleep and Loki reflexively pulled his hand away. He continued to stare at you for a moment before leaning down and kissing your forehead gently.

He then got up and left to you to your slumber. You deserved to catch up on your rest.

As he strode through the palace halls, Loki came across Thor doing some early morning training in the courtyard. Thor spotted his brother from across the way and beckoned him over. Loki politely obliged.

“Good morning, brother,” Thor greeted him as he wiped away some of his sweat from his forehead. “How’s ____ doing?”

“She seems to be doing fine. It took her a while to fall asleep last night though, so I’m letting her sleep in,” Loki responds, crossing his arms.

“Good. Good. What did father want to talk to you about last night?” He inquired curiously.

“Just some concerns he had over ____’s pregnancy,” Loki answered flatly.

“Why would he be concerned about that. Is there something wrong with her pregnancy?”

“No, ____ currently appears to fine,” Loki shifted his weight. He was just barely not making eye contact with Thor as he stared off randomly into the distance. “Besides, it doesn’t matter what Father’s concerns are, ____ and I have already made our decisions regarding the pregnancy.”

Seemingly out of nowhere Thor chuckled, bringing Loki’s gaze back to his brother.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“I’d never thought you’d be the first one to get married and have child,” Thor responded. “I’m truly happy for you though. You’ll make a great father.”

Thor proceeded to clap Loki on the back, using a little more force than he probably realized.

“Well, I should head to back to my warmup before Valkyrie and Lady Sif arrive," Thor says, resting his hands on his hips. “Apparently they have some intense training regiment lined up for me.”

“I do not envy you at the moment then, brother,” Loki lets out a slight smirk. “Good luck with that.”

As Loki walked off, waving to Thor behind him, he secretly smiled. Thor thought he would be a good father. He would never admit it to his older brother, but that comment made him really happy.

__

Paperwork. Loki was drowning in paperwork ever since he had gotten back to Asgard. The duty should have been Thor's as he was the one next in line for the throne, but everyone knew that wasn’t going to happen. Thus as a part of regaining his freedom, Odin had assigned Loki the role of Thor’s top advisor, so that he could be the one to take care of the ridiculous amount of paperwork that needed attending to.

“I swear Thor and Odin will pay for pushing all this tedious work,” He grumbled as he picked up another sheet.

“Is that so? What do you plan on doing to them?” You smile as you entered his office with a tray of coffee and pastries.

“Not quite sure,” Loki muses. “Maybe I’ll donate all of their alcohol to the locals. Or maybe I’ll let a giant snake loose in the palace to cause of a commotion. All in good fun, of course.”

“Of course,” You giggle, setting the tray down on his desk.

Loki watched you as you poured a cup of coffee for him. It had only been two months and you were already starting to show considerably. Though he didn’t vocalize it, the rate of which the baby was growing alarmed him. You had yet to complain of any major discomfort though and that eased his concerns a bit.

“Here you go,” You said, placing the cup of coffee in front of him, stirring him from his thoughts.

“Thank you,” He thanked solemnly as he picked up the cup and took a sip.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” You ask, slipping yourself masterfully into his lap.

Loki chuckled and placed the cup back down on the desk so he could hold you instead. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I?”

“You don’t have a very good track record of being able to do that,” You teased.

“No, it doesn’t seem that I do,” He pressed a gentle kiss upon your lips.

“Loki, stop trying to distract me,” You push away from his chest. “Don’t hide your troubles from me.”

“Ah, so close,” Loki smirked slightly. He then let out a long sigh. He placed his left hand on your stomach. “I can’t deny that I don’t have some concerns about your rapid growth these past few months.”

You ran your fingers through his hair, “I guess it would’ve been unrealistic to think this was going to be a normal Asgardian pregnancy. But all things considered, I feel fine. I’m in no extra pain.”

“That’s comforting to hear, truly it is. But...” Loki drifted off not wishing to upset you.

“Loki, it’s completely understandable and acceptable that you have concerns about this,” You did your best to comfort him. “And you should vocalize them if you have them. Don’t pent up your emotions and try to figure things out on your own. I can handle hearing your concerns. You can rely on me too.”

Loki gazed lovingly down at his wife. “I’m sorry. You’re right.”

“I usually am,” You quipped.

He chuckled and was about to kiss you when there came a knock on the door. Loki growled in frustration. Whoever it was at the door better have a good explanation for interrupting his time with his wife.

You quickly got up off Loki’s lap, straightening you dress and standing tall.

“Come in,” Loki called out.

He rolled his eyes when he saw that the unwelcomed interruption was Thor.

“What do you want?” Loki asked with a slight edge of irritation added to his tone.

“Play nice,” You whispered at your annoyed husband. You were struggling to suppress your laughter as you found the situation rather amusing at Loki's expense.

“You’re not going to like this,” Thor started.

“ _What a wonderfully awful way to begin a conversation_ ,” Loki thought.

“But we’ve been summoned back to Earth,” Thor continued. “The situation is urgent and we are to come right away.”

You tensed up at the news. You had been secretly praying nothing went wrong on Midgard during the duration of your pregnancy. You really didn’t want Loki to leave your side while you were in this condition.

Loki didn’t want that either. Several curses ran through his mind at the moment.

“Do they absolutely need my presence as well? Can’t you make an exception and go alone this time?” Loki asked through gritted teeth.

“I’m afraid not,” Thor replied, genuinely feeling for you and his brother.

“For how long?” He inquired.

“They were not sure,” Thor answered honestly.

Flames appeared as if they could come out of Loki’s face. He was seething.

“Take me with you,” You suddenly spoke up.

Both brothers turned their attention towards you in shock. You could already tell by the expression on his face that Loki didn't like the idea.

“I’m being serious. Take me with you,” You pressed on.

“I will not allow it, my love,” Loki shot you down. “It could place both you and the baby in great danger.”

“I will stay in the confines of the Avengers headquarters if I must, but I am going with you,” You replied firmly standing your ground.

"Absolutely not," Loki objected once again.

"I am going," You repeated.

"No, you are not."

"Yes, I am!"

"No, you are not!"

“Loki, we’re running out of time. We need to go. Just let her come with us,” Thor injected, siding with you in his nervous panic.

You smirked triumphantly. Thor being on your side gave you the upper hand. You smug expression only irritated Loki more.

“Are you crazy?!” he asked, his gaze shifting back and forth between you and his older brother in disbelief over the current situation.

“I’ll go with you to protect her,” Frigga said suddenly stepping into his office as well. “I overheard your little qualm.”

“Odin wouldn’t allow that,” Loki frowned as he witnessed this crazy situation spiral out of control.

“I do not need Odin’s permission to do things. Protecting my daughter-in-law and grandchild is well within my rights as queen and as a mother,” Frigga responded firmly.

Loki felt like he was going to explode. He knew, however, that he couldn’t win against the three of you. Even if Odin mysteriously appeared and added his objection to this mess, Loki knew Frigga could persuade him otherwise.

“Fine. Whatever. Let’s just go,” Loki threw his hands up in defeat.

__

The Midgardians who made up the Avengers team were not prepared for four of the five members of the royal Asgardian family to show up at their headquarters.

“Guys, this is my mother, Frigga, and my sister-in-law, ____,” Thor introduced you to them. “Due to certain circumstances, they insisted upon coming with us this time.”

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Frigga smiled warmly.

“Haven’t we met before?” Tony inquired, referring to you.

“Isn’t she the girl who came to beg for forgiveness on Loki’s behalf,” Nat chimed in.

“One in the same,” You smiled proudly as you gave a small curtsey.

“What did Loki do to deserve you?” Sam asked.

“Nothing,” Loki replied, wrapping his arms around you protectively. “But she’s mine nonetheless, so don’t you forget that.”

“Chill dude,” Sam rolled his eyes. “I’m not going to flirt with your wife.”

“Sorry, he’s a little tense right now,” You apologized. “He wasn’t exactly thrilled about bringing us along.”

“I can imagine why,” Clint briefly glanced at your stomach.

“So what’s so urgent you needed us right away?” Thor asked.

“Ah, that... Well we’ve gotten to ourselves into a mighty pinch,” Tony answered.

He and the other Avengers began to head towards the conference room as Tony continued to explain the situation.

“I should probably go with them,” Loki sighed letting you go. “No matter what, promise me you won’t leave this building.”

“I promise,” You reassure him.

Loki wasn’t happy with this arrangement, but it was too late to complain about that. He planted a kiss on your forehead before willing himself away from you. He briskly walked off to go catch up with the others.


	6. Dream or Vision?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While Loki and the others are away, you are not able to sleep well. On the plus side, you wind up having a pleasant conversation with Wanda and Natasha. But on the downside, you receive an eerie premonition.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To clarify, Vision in this chapter is transformed into his human form like in Ininfity War. Just thought I'd mention that before I got comments reminding me that Vision doesn't have hair.

Even though you had gone with him to Midgard, you still found yourself alone in bed without Loki by your side. Not that you had any right to complain about that. You knew he was coming here to save the planet, not vacation with you.

Loki and most of the others hadn’t returned after departing from the Avengers headquarters. Only Nat, Wanda, and Vision were sent back to work on a project at the base.

"Your daddy's working hard so he can be with mommy and you," You spoke to your baby bump. You place your hand on your stomach. "I can't wait for you to meet him. Even if he denies it, your father is an amazing man."

Out of nowhere, you felt the baby kick. Your eyes lit up with unspeakable joy.

"Are you excited, little one?" you smiled to yourself in amazement. "Mommy and daddy are excited to meet you too."

You spent the next few minutes whispering sweet nothings to your baby bump. Realizing that you were not going to able to fall asleep any time soon, you decided your time was better spent finding something to drink. You were absolutely parched.

To your surprise, as you walked into the common area you discovered the three Avengers present. Wanda sat on the couch, reading some type of manuscript while simultaneously combing her fingers through Vision’s hair as he had fallen asleep with his head on her lap. Nat sat in a chair adjacent to them, jotting something down in a notebook. Both girls looked up from their work as they noticed your presence.

“Can we help you with something?” Wanda inquired.

“I was just looking for the kitchen. I needed something to drink,” You responded, feeling a bit bad for interrupting them.

“I’ll get you something,” Natasha said, standing up quickly. “Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”

“Oh, you don’t have to...” You start to object but Natasha had already disappeared around the corner.

“Please sit down,” Wanda flashed a soft, warm smile at you.

You obliged, taking a seat across from the pair of them.

“He must have been really tired to drift off before you two,” You comment, referring to Vision.

Wanda chuckled softly, “He’s not actually asleep. Vision can’t physically get tired. He’s concentrating on searching the internet for information.”

“The internet?” You asked puzzled. You figured it must be some Midgardian invention for you had never heard of such a thing before.

“I forgot. Thor mentioned that you guys don’t have such a thing on Asgard. It’s basically our world’s largest knowledge database,” Wanda explained.

Just then Natasha came back from the kitchen with a glass of water and handed it to you.

“Thank you,” You said, accepting the glass with both hands.

“You’re welcome,” Nat replied, sitting back down. “So ____ tells us. How did you and Loki wind up together? I’m extremely curious. If someone had told me a few years ago that Loki would be turning over a new leaf and helping save our world rather than conquer it with his wife and unborn child sitting in our headquarters, I would have called them insane.”

“I’m quite curious about the matter myself,” Wanda admitted. “But you don’t have to share anything with us if you don’t want to.”

“It’s fine,” You reply before taking a sip water. You take a deep breath. “Long before Loki lost his way and committed his crimes, he actually saved my life. From that moment on I always had a soft spot for him. But it wasn't until after his crimes against Midgard, I mean Earth, and he was thrown into prison that our relationship was really established.”

“There goes my theory that you were lovers before the whole Loki turned evil thing and you just stuck with him through it all,” Natasha folded her arms and leaned back in her chair.

“No, it didn’t happen like that,” You chuckled before continuing your story. “After it had been announced that Loki had been arrested and what his crimes were, I appeared before Frigga, his and Thor’s mother, and convinced her to let me visit him under her supervision. The two of us teamed up to convince Loki to see the error of his ways and turn from them as well as to figure out a way to lighten his punishment.”

“Thus resulting in the time you visited with Thor to advocate for Loki working with us in return for a shot at redemption and his freedom,” Wanda connected the dots.

“Correct,” You nodded. “From there the rest is history. Loki fell in love with me as I had been with him. We got married shortly after he regained his freedom and now we’re having our first child.”

“How far along are you?” Wanda asked curiously.

“Just a little over two months,” You answer.

“You’re showing that much only after two months?!” Natasha dropped her jaw in disbelief. “I thought you were almost full term.”

You grimaced slightly, “Well, the pregnancy isn’t exactly a normal one with Loki not actually being biologically Asgardian and all.”

“What do mean Loki’s not actually biologically Asgardian?” Wanda asked confused.

Natasha looked equally perplexed. Oops. That means Loki hadn’t confined his true origins to them.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. I thought you already knew,” You apologize, though your words really didn't help the situation.

Both women appeared even more curious.

“Well now you have to tell us,” Natasha said. “It’s too late for you to back out of it.”

You hesitated uncomfortably. If Loki found out you had spilled the beans he wasn't going to be very happy with you. But they were right, you said too much, and curiosity always got out of hand if it went unfulfilled.

“Fine, but you have to promise me not to tell anyone else about this,” You conditioned reluctantly. "Don't even tell Loki that I told you in the first place.

“We promise,” both women replied in unison.

“The truth is, Loki’s actually a Frost Giant. Odin found him abandoned as a baby and proceeded to bring him home to be raised as his son. Odin hid the truth of who Loki actually was from even him for a very long time until Loki found out himself by accident. It’s one of the big events that triggered him to take the wrong path in life,” You told them. “Again, please don’t tell anyone. Loki’s not very fond of his true heritage.”

“We won’t say a word,” Wanda promised as Nat nodded in agreement.

__

Several days passed. It seemed things out on the field were getting pretty serious. Loki and the others have yet to return. Nat, Wanda, and Vision were even called back in to help on the front lines.

“Honey, you should rest. You look exhausted,” Frigga suggests, giving you an expression of deep concern. “When’s the last time you slept well?”

“Zero nights and counting since Loki and the others left,” You replied. You sat on the couch clearly looking like an exhausted mess. Your head kept nodding as you were falling in and out of sleep as you sat there.

“Come on,” Frigga said helping you up off the couch. “You’re taking a nap and I won’t take no for an answer.”

You didn’t even try to object. Not only because you were too tired to make a valid objection, but also because you knew you could never win an argument against your mother-in-law.

Frigga helped you to bed and watched as you passed out the moment your head hit the pillow. She then dimmed the lights in the room and left, quietly shutting the door behind her.

Unfortunately for you, the nap wound up being anything but peaceful as you started to dream.

You saw Loki and the others on the battlefield. The Avengers definitely appeared at their wit's end. Everyone looked tired, dirty, and wounded here and there. To make matters worse, they seemed to be grossly outnumbered as they did their best to defend against their enemy’s ongoing slew of attacks.

Crazy things were happening all over the battlefield but your eyes were trained on Loki. You hadn't seen him in actual combat before, and honestly, you were horrified to witness him go through this ordeal. Paperwork didn’t seem so bad compared to this if this is what Loki was doing every time he came to Midgard.

Your eyes widened in horror as one of the enemies leapt towards Loki, who unknowingly had his back turned.

“ _Look out!_ ” You cried out desperately.

At the last second, Loki turned around but even so he had no time to evade the attack. The enemy’s blade pierced right through him. Loki stood there frozen for a second. He coughed up some blood before his body plummeted to the ground. He just laid there unmoving as the war raged on around him.

You screamed.

The lights in the room flashed back on as Frigga ran into the room. She shook you awake and instantly accepted you into her arms as you proceeded to cling onto her tightly.

Tears were streaming down your face. Your whole body trembled in her embrace. You were panting heavily as you struggled to regain a normal breathing pattern. Your dream seemed too real and that terrified you.

“____, what’s wrong?” Frigga spoke softly to you. “Your screaming could be heard way down the hall.”

“I-It’s, it’s, L-Loki, he- he-,” You stammered.

“What about him?” She asked concerned.

You proceeded to fumble your way through telling your dream to Frigga. She listened to you patiently.

“It’s just a dream. I’m sure Loki’s fine,” Frigga said in an attempt to comfort you but honestly, she wasn’t so sure that herself.

The queen wondered if your dream wasn’t actually a dream but rather a vision. But she knew mentioning that to her daughter-in-law would only make matters worse. Nothing was sure at the moment so she decided to keep her speculations to herself. However, if it really was a vision Frigga prayed for her son’s safety.

Unfortunately, hours later Frigga’s suspicions were confirmed.

__

The Avengers returned in triumph, but no one was cheering over their victory. Just as you had seen in your dream everyone was weary, dirty, and bruised. Thor, Loki, and a few others were noticeably missing.

You shuttered.

“Where are my sons?” Frigga asked failing to mask her panic.

“In the medical bay with a handful of others,” Steve answered solemnly.

“Thor’s fine...” Tony glanced over at you with great sorrow in his expression, “but Loki, he...”

Tony trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence as he saw the tears start to drip down from your eyelids.

Immediately, both you and Frigga brushed passed the others.


	7. I Don't Want To Die Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You and Frigga arrive in the medical ward just in time to watch Loki being rushed into surgery. His condition is critical and it is unsure whether or not he will survive. You turn to Thor for false hope, but he's unable to give it to you.

Thor was by his brother’s bedside when you and Frigga reached the medical ward. You arrived just in time to see he being hurriedly carted away by doctors and nurses.

“Where are they taking him?!” You ask Thor desperately, clinging to his sleeve.

“He’s in critical condition. They have to perform surgery on him now for him to even have a chance to survive,” Thor choked backed his tears. He was barely keeping himself together.

“What happened?” Frigga inquired.

“He was stabbed. Almost from behind but at the last second he turned towards his attacker,” Thor answered. “But it wasn’t enough time for him to defend himself.”

Your knees buckled. You would’ve have crashed to the floor if Thor wasn’t quick to hold you up.

“It wasn’t a dream,” You breathed under your breath horrified.

“What is she talking about?” Thor turned to his mother.

“She had a vision of what happened to Loki,” Frigga informed him. “It happened in the middle of her sleep so we thought it might have been just a bad dream, but it, unfortunately, seems like that is not the case.”

“He’s going to be alright, right? Loki’s not going to die, right Thor?” You begged for desperate confirmation.

“____, I- I- don’t know...” Thor grimaced, upset that he couldn’t comfort you. “And I can’t promise you anything.”

“Loki can’t die! Not when he’s about to become a father!” You raised your voice, your tone radiating with panic and fear as you started mentally and emotionally breaking down. “He can’t! He just can’t!”

Frigga cupped your face in her hands. “____, I know it’s difficult right now, but you have to calm down. Getting so worked up isn’t good for your body.”

You shuttered, as you switched over to her embrace. The queen stroked your hair gently as you cried in her arms.

Thor was heartbroken at the sight of the two of you. Not only were you struggling to calm down, but he noticed his mother’s eyes were growing watery.

" _Loki, you better not die_ ,” Thor said silently. “ _There are people who need you_.”

__

Hours later, Loki was finally brought back out. The surgery had been a success, but it was now up to Loki whether or not he’d be able to fully recover.

“Thank you,” Thor thanked the nurse before she took her leave.

You sat next to Loki’s bedside, taking his hand in yours as you stared at him laying there unconsciously.

“You should go clean up,” Frigga told her oldest son, gently placing her hand on his right shoulder. “You are in desperate need of a shower.”

“But-“ Thor began to object.

“We’ll be fine, dear,” She smiled reassuringly. “Loki will still be here when you return.”

“Y-you’re right,” Thor gave in. “I’ll take my leave then.”

Frigga nodded as Thor walked off. She turned her attention back to her other son.

“I was being so unfair to him,” You suddenly spoke.

“What do you mean?” Frigga asked confused. She hadn’t the slightest idea of what you were referring to.

“Loki was so worried about losing me when Odin brought up the concerns of me giving birth to a half frost giant baby,” You began to explain. “Even after we talked through it, I knew he still had fears about me dying due to pregnancy complications. Yet I hadn’t really taken seriously those fears and emotions. I ignored them because I was so readily prepared to give up my life for our child. And I still am, but...”

“But?” The queen inquired, pushing you to continue. It was good for you to vocalize and work through your feelings honestly.

“But after experiencing the fear so strongly myself, I’m starting to doubt whether or not I’m making the right choice,” A single tear silently rolled down your cheek. “How could I leave Loki and make him go through such terrible pain? After everything he’s been through, he doesn’t deserve suffering like this too.”

You pressed your forehead against the hand of Loki's that you held in your own. You choked out your next words, “I can’t do that to him.”

Frigga pursed her lips. For once she was at a loss for what advice to give.

You look back up at her, still not releasing Loki’s hand. Tears were streaming down your face once again.

“I don’t want to die."

Frigga’s heart shattered as you said those words. She covered her mouth with her palm to stop herself from sobbing as tears started to roll down her face as well.

__

You spent the night by his side. No one had the heart to ask you to go sleep in a proper bed. You fell asleep still grasping Loki’s hand almost as if you were afraid that if you let go his life would slip through your fingers.

Though you were sleeping in a chair and leaning over to rest your head on Loki’s bedside, you were honestly getting better sleep than you had over the past several days in a bed. That just went to show how much having the psychical presence of Loki by your side affected you positively. You slept peacefully with no dreams, visions, or nightmares interrupting your much-needed slumber.

__

Loki internally groaned as he started to slowly regain consciousness. Everything was sore, especially his chest area where he had been stabbed. His right hand felt heavy as it felt like someone or something was laying on top of it. Unconsciously, he began to move his fingers as an attempt to remove some of the pressure off his hand.

After several minutes of his body trying to wake itself up, Loki’s eyes flashed open. He was greeted with the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. Where on Asgard was he?

Memories of what happened suddenly flooded back to him. The last thing he remembered was fighting alongside the Avengers in the middle of the battlefield when he was stabbed. He recalled collapsing on the ground after coughing up blood. Everything after that was fuzzy. Loki figured his must have passed after that.

Loki assessed his current situation. He hadn’t died, so that’s a major plus. Who knows what anguish ____ would’ve gone through if he had. Wait a minute. ____!

He suddenly sat up panicked. His eyes darted around the room for you. That’s when he finally looked down at his right hand. There you were, head resting soundly on his palm. Loki exhaled a huge sigh of relief at the sight of you. He lifted his left hand and started running his fingers through your hair.

You began to stir. You felt something running through your hair. The touch was gentle and so familiar. Your eyes flashed open as you sprang up in your seat.

“Loki,” You breathed as your eyes locked with his.

“Good morning, darling,” He smiled softly at you.

Tears of relief instantly broke onto your face.

“Love, don’t cry,” Loki spoke soothingly as you pulled you up on the bed next to him. “You’re puffy eyes tell me you have already done that enough.”

He raised his fingers to your eyes to wipe away the tears.

“I thought I was going to lose you,” You told him, reaching up and holding his palm against your cheek.

“You can’t get rid of me that easily, my love,” Loki assured you. He chuckled. “I’m quite the survivor.”

Loki was smiling but you still felt a pit in your stomach.

“I’m so sorry,” You apologized.

“What on Asgard do you have to feel sorry for?” Loki looked at your confused.

“I belittled your fear of losing me. I thought it was no big deal to sacrifice myself for our child if push came to shove, but after almost losing you I realize how unfair I was being,” You told him, your voice cracking several times as you did. “I’m so sorry. I- I-“

“____, it’s okay. If I had to choose between saving our child or myself, I would choose to save our child in a heartbeat a billion times over,” Loki admitted. He placed his free hand gently down on your stomach. “Over these past two months, I have grown to love this child more than I thought was possible. I now understand the feeling you have of being willing to sacrifice yourself for our child, so you have nothing to apologize for.”

Loki leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on your lips. You kissed him back, wrapping your arms behind his neck.

“I still absolutely forbid you to die though,” Loki pulled away slightly.

You giggled, “I don’t plan on going down without a fight.”

“That’s my girl,” Loki grinned as he placed a hand on the back on your head, pulling you into an even deeper kiss.

The two of you were so enwrapped in one another that neither one of you noticed when Frigga and Thor entered the room. The queen cleared her throat.

You immediately broke away from Loki, your face bright red with embarrassment.

“Why is there always an interruption?” Loki grumbled under his breath.

Frigga chose to ignore the remark.

“How are you feeling?” She inquired.

“I’m a bit sore, but other than that I feel fine,” He answered. “Because I turned around at the last second he missed hitting any major organs. I guess I have ____ to thank for that.”

“____?” Thor asked puzzled.

You were equally confused.

“I heard you shouting at me to turn around,” Loki explained, brushing a stray strand of hair out of your face.

“You heard that?!” You said in utter disbelief.

“Yes, I did. Do you know how I horrified I was at that moment?” Loki frowned. “You promised me you wouldn’t leave the building. Why were you on the battlefield?”

“I wasn’t!” You said defensively. “I never left, I swear.”

“Then how?” Loki gave you a quizzical look.

“She had a vision of you on the battlefield. You must have heard her through that,” Frigga answered. “Sometimes magic users get them in times of dire trouble after they’ve established a really strong bond with another person. I’ve gotten them with Odin in the past, but he’s never heard me through them. Unlike Odin, though, both of you have been trained in my magic.”

“So I won’t be receiving any of those visions?” Thor clarified.

“You received your training from your father, so no,” Frigga responded honestly.

Loki couldn’t help but let out a slight smirk for being able to do something Thor couldn’t. Whatever way he could one-up his brother always made him happy.

"Stop looking so smug," Thor folded his arms. "Magic visions or not, I could still totally wipe the floor with you."

"Oh really?" Loki teased. "Let's test out that little theory as soon as I recover."

Both you and Frigga rolled your eyes. Boys.


	8. I Don't Want To Die Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki is furious upon hearing that he can't go home yet. The fear for his loved ones' safety has him on edge, and he desperately wants nothing more than to have you safely back on Asgard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that it has been a little bit since my last chapter. Life has been rather stressful for me right now, but I was finally able to finish chapter 8. Hope you enjoy it! ^^

“What do you mean we’re not done?” Loki growled angrily.

Everyone in the conference room stared at him. Some of them gave him looks of pity. Thor placed his hand on his brother’s shoulder, signifying for Loki to calm down.

“We’re sorry we can’t send you home yet, but our planet is still in danger,” Steve explained, keeping his cool. “What we accomplished a week ago was only dealing with the first half of the enemy’s forces. We damaged them just enough to hold them off for a little bit, but once they’ve finished regrouping they will come after us again.”

Loki clenched his fists but suppressed any further verbal objections. Causing a scene wasn’t going to help him. Still, it made him furious that he couldn’t return you home safe to Asgard yet. And he doubted you would go back without him even if he begged you to.

The briefing continued, but it no longer held Loki’s attention. His mind was preoccupied with figuring out how he was going break the bad news to you. Both of you had been convinced that you’d be able to go home after he attended this meeting.

That wasn’t the only thing bothering Loki at the moment. He hated that the fact that you had to stay was really all his fault. If only he had chosen the right path earlier in life. He felt stupid for trying so hard to earn Odin’s love and respect and for going to such awful and drastic lengths to do so. It really hadn’t been worth it in end.

But he couldn’t turn back time. He had to deal with the consequences of his choices. Loki was just upset with himself that his past was affecting your present.

__

“I can’t believe you were keeping this cutie away from us for so long,” Natasha teased Loki as she hugged you.

“Sorry for not wanting to put my wife in impending danger constantly,” Loki snarled.

“When I’m not pregnant, it should be fine to come back and help you guys out from time to time,” You said.

“What?! No!” Loki spat bewildered.

All the girls in the room turned and grinned at him mischievously. Whatever this current situation was Loki didn’t like it. He was supposed to be the mischievous one.

“She’s another magic user, is she not?” Wand chimed in. “I think she’d be quite an asset on the battlefield.”

You smiled wide and nodded in agreement. This horrified Loki even more.

“You’re not going on the battlefield!” He hissed.

“Why not? I trained her myself. I think she’d do exceptionally,” Frigga backed up the other girls up.

“Mother!” Loki cried completely exasperated. “Don’t encourage this!”

“We’d get to spend more time together, darling,” You gave him puppy eyes. You then proceeded to add an extra layer of sweetness to your tone, “And I could take good _care_ of you each and every night. I might even let you try out those nighttime _experiments_ you were curious about if you let me come along.”

Loki swallowed hard. His mind and his body were torn as his imagination and desires run wild. You weren’t playing fair and you knew it.

“D-don’t you dare try to tempt me,” Loki struggled to keep his composure. “It won’t work.”

“Looks like it’s working pretty well,” Wanda smirked.

“We can discuss it later,” You chuckled letting him off the hook. “So what did you come here to talk about? I can’t imagine you’re actually interested in hearing our girl talk.”

Your question reminded Loki why he even stepped in on this group of girls in the first place. He braced himself. He knew you weren’t going to like what he had to say next.

“I want you to return home with mother,” Loki answered you.

“I will when you do,” Your eyes narrowed.

“No, I mean now.”

“I refuse,” You said coldly before storming off.

Wanda and Natasha frowned at Loki. Frigga shook her head and sighed.

“Why are doing this, son?” She asked solemnly. “You already know how she feels about leaving you. And those feelings are stronger right now due to her hormones. Don’t do this to her.”

“I must,” Loki pursed his lips.

“And why’s that?” Natasha crossed her arms.

“Because!” Loki started to snap. He then thought better of it and lowered his tone. Losing his cool would get him nowhere. “Because her safety is more important than her feelings at the moment. Do you have any idea how nerve-racking it is to have your wife, unborn child, and mother on a planet that’s currently under attack? I am being stubborn on this matter only because it’s the best way to protect the ones I love. Is that so wrong of me to want to keep you guys safe?”

“It’s not...” Frigga admitted.

None of the women had a rebuttal for him. Though they wanted to back you up, what Loki said had a lot of validity to it. They’d probably react the same way if they were in his position.

“Thank you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my wife,” Loki said, excusing himself, before briskly walking off in the direction you had gone.

__

“____?” Loki inquired softly upon discovering you.

“I’m not changing my mind,” You said, refusing to turn around and look at him.

“You’re being unreasonable, darling,” He replied as he cautiously approached you. He didn’t want you storming off again on him. “At least hear me out before shooting me down.”

You took a single step away from him as Loki reached out to touch you. The physical rejection made Loki’s heart ache. You had never blatantly refused his touch before.

“Like I said, I’m not changing my mind so hearing you out is pointless,” You retorted as Loki retracted his hand.

Your behavior made his blood boil. He clenched his fists at his sides. Apparently taking the gentle approach wasn’t working here.

“Stop acting like a spoiled child,” Loki seethed through gritted teeth. “Just because you want to stay doesn’t mean that you should. This isn’t just about you. You’re dragging my mother and our unborn child into unnecessary danger by selfishly staying here.”

Being called spoiled and selfish made your blood boil in return.

“You think I don’t know that!?” You whipped around and shouted at him. “You’re missing the point! I could die, remember?!”

“I do remember that! Very, painfully clearly as a matter of fact!” Loki shouted back. “That’s exactly why I want you to return to Asgard where you’ll be safe!”

“No, you don’t understand it at all!” You replied furiously. A mixture of hurt and anger stained your face.

You turned your back on him once more, fully prepared to storm off again, but as you were leaving Loki grabbed your wrist. The two of you glared at each other silently for the longest time.

“Then tell me so I do understand,” Loki finally spoke.

Your face darkened as your gaze fell away from him. “Let me go, Loki.”

“Not until you explain to me why you refuse to go back,” Loki stood his ground, though your darkened expression almost made him waver in his resolve.

“Loki, I’m being serious. Let go of me now.”

“Why won’t you talk to me? I can’t understand why you’re so adamant about staying on Earth if you don’t tell me,” His voice cracked. He paused to give you a chance to answer. When you didn’t he felt a sharp pain in his heart. “I hate fighting with you like this. Please, ____ ...”

Silence fell between you two. Loki released your wrist. He couldn’t force an answer out of you. But he also couldn’t stand having you reject him any longer. He turned to leave when all of the sudden he felt a slight tug on his sleeve.

“I don’t want to die,” You finally spoke up behind him.

Loki’s eyes widened in shock as your confession fully registered in his ears. He turned back to see your tear stained face staring directly back him.

“But if I do,” You continued, “I want to spend my remaining days with you. Not alone on Asgard. I know I’m being selfish, but I-“

You couldn’t finish your sentence. Your hand flew over your mouth as a weak attempt to keep yourself from sobbing.

“Oh, ____,” Loki murmured, pulling you into his chest.

“What if I don’t have much time left?” You wept. “Don’t make me leave you.”

He hadn’t thought about it like that. His resolve shattered.

“You win. I won’t ask you to go back again,” Loki leaned back to cup your face in his hands. “I’m so sorry, ____.“

—

To say things were awkward between you and Loki after that would be an understatement. No real conversations were exchanged between the two of since Loki agreed to let you stay. Whenever he made eye contact with you his face always donned a pained expression. Every touch he gave you was overly gentle almost as if he was afraid he was going to break you. This hadn’t been what you wanted, but you had no idea how to fix it.

Eventually Loki left the headquarters with the other Avengers again as Migard’s enemy seemed to be approaching. He had parted with a soft kiss on your forehead and a bittersweet smile on his face without a single word spoken between you.

“Maybe I should go back,” You reflected solemnly.

Frigga drew near, handing you a mug of freshly made hot chocolate.

“Don’t do that to yourselves, sweetheart,” She refuted gently. “At this point, if something happened to either you or Loki while on different planets neither one of you would be able to bear it. Especially with the way you two have been acting around one other recently.”

“I don’t know what to do then,” You told her, wrapping your fingers firmly around the mug.

“That’s okay. Maybe a bit of separation to clear up your thoughts and emotions is what the two of you need at the moment,” Frigga replied.

You didn’t verbally respond. Instead, you pondered her words.

Frigga took a sip of her own hot chocolate. She was staring out the window as the two of you sat in a reflective silence when suddenly something caught her attention in the corner of her eye. Frigga looked over at you with a mixture of concern and perplexity. Had it just be her imagination? Or had your skin briefly been blue? You hadn’t seemed to notice or react in any way, so maybe it really was just her imagination after all.


	9. Surprise!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki’s halfway around the world when your water breaks. On top of that, Frigga’s really worried about the side effects of bearing a half frost giant baby seems to being having on your body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting so close to the end of this story! Another chapter or two (I haven’t really decided yet). Anyways, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. ^^

You felt cold. Freezing cold. The overwhelming sensation caused you to spring up in bed. 

The room was pitch black. Your eyes darted to the alarm clock on the bedside table. 3:38 a.m.

It had been a week and a half since the others went off to fight. Occasionally a few Avengers would return to grab a needed item or check up on something. But Loki was never among them. 

You winced as a sudden sharp pain coursed through your abdomen. As your eyes adjusted to the dark, you scrambled out of bed to flip on the lights. It took everything in you to stop from screaming in utter shock the second you did.

You were blue! From head to toe, your skin was completely blue. 

“Frigga!” You called out panicked, exiting your room in order to find her.

In the hall you almost collided into her.

“Great Odin’s eyepatch,” Frigga murmured in utter shock as she caught sight of you. 

“What’s going on?!” You asked frantically.

Frigga reached out and touched your cheek. She reflexively recoiled it almost instantly. Your skin was freezing to the touch.

“My guess is that the baby has grown to the point where he or she is started to have major effects on your body. Your current state reminds me of Loki’s Jotun form,” The queen responded. “To be frank with you, my dear, I’m quite worried. Your body isn’t made to withstand these kinds of temperatures. Come. Let’s get you warmed up.”

You nodded and quickly trailed after her.

__

Frigga led you to the medical bay where she explained your condition to the staff as they quickly rushed to cover you in blankets and get you something warm to drink.

It helped but not very much. You could tell Frigga was trying to keep her cool for your sake but that it was a struggle.

“Is there any way we could get ahold of my son?” She asked one of the nurses.

“We could send for him but it would take a while for us to get there,” the nurse responded grimly. “The last anyone heard, the Avengers were halfway around the world and all communication had been lost with headquarters. Someone would have to physically travel to wherever they are in order to retrieve him.”

The queen bit down on her bottom lip. That had not been the answer she was hoping for.

“Frigga,” You suddenly croaked, snapping her out of her thoughts as her mind was scrambling for an answer for what to do. You swallowed. “My water just broke.”

Both her and the nurse’s eye widened. 

__

They were in the final stretch. Everyone could feel it. They were all exhausted beyond compare, but the battle wasn’t over yet. They had to press on until the bitter end.

Steve was giving a briefing on the go. Everyone was strapping on equipment and readying weapons as they briskly walked to keep up with Cap as he gave them instructions. 

Mid-stride, Loki suddenly froze. No longer was he surrounded by his comrades heading off to fight for Midgard. Instead, he found himself back at the Avengers headquarters’ medical bay. The sensation was strange as it felt like he was both there and not there at the same time. Like he wasn’t physically there but the scene before him was so horrifically real to his other senses.

His eyes instantly trained on you. A mixture of unpleasant emotions washed over him as he took in your condition. 

You were unnaturally blue. Your skin was a shade of blue that Loki knew all too well. Your body appeared to be shivering as if the air conditioning was on full blast in the medical ward. You were laying on the hospital bed with one hand gripping the side rails and the other clutching your stomach. And though you were struggling to suppress it, one look at your face was all Loki needed to realize that you were in a lot of pain.

He opened his mouth to say something, but before he could get a single word out the vision disappeared. Loki felt someone shaking him on his right shoulder. Everyone had stopped and was staring at him.

“Loki? Why did you stop? Loki?” Thor asked he continued shaking his brother.

“____’s in labor,” Loki murmured breathlessly.

“What?!” Natasha cried in utter shock.

“How do you know that?” Steve inquired skeptically.

“I- I- I saw her,” Loki stammered. “She was blue and shivering and in a lot of pain.”

“Blue?” Bruce asked confused.

Loki suddenly clutched onto Thor. “It must’ve been a vision like ____ had before. If that’s the case then ____’s in danger. I- I have to go back.”

Thor heart winced as he saw his younger brother’s desperate and tortured expression. He just had to help him out. He turned to the other Avengers.

“Please let him go back,” Thor pleaded. “I can vouch for him that he’s telling the truth.”

An awkward, tense silence filled the area.

“I trust him. Let him go,” Nat stepped forward.

“Same here,” Wanda joined in.

Loki decided at that exact moment those two girls were his favorite Avengers.

“Come on Steve, can you really look into his eyes and believe that he’s lying?” Tony piped up. “If it was Pepper, I’d want to ditch you guys too. Besides, I think we can handle the rest of these baddies on our own.”

Steve sighed, “Fine, you can go. But how are you going to get there in time? We’re halfway around the world.”

Loki pursed his lips. Steve did have a point.

“Dr. Strange could help with that, couldn’t he?” Peter Parker suggested. “He could do that yellow sparkly thing he does all the time to take Mr. Loki back.”

Stephen rolled his eyes at Peter calling his magic ‘that yellow sparkly thing.’

“I suppose I can aid with that,” He said, waving his hands and creating a portal the Avengers headquarters.

“Thank you,” Loki smiled. He gave a quick nod to Wanda and Natasha before stepping through the portal.

__

Everyone jumped as Loki suddenly burst into the medical ward.

“Loki?” Frigga breathed in disbelief. “What? How?”

“Visions seem to be something ____ and I share recently,” Loki responded, drawing closer. “Though given the circumstances I’m not so sure I’m too happy about that. How is she?”

“Honestly, not very good,” She admitted. “But I think there’s something only you can do to help.”

Loki took his mother’s outstretched arm and followed her to where you were.

Your eyes widened as Loki entered on the arm of his mother.

“L-Loki?” You shuttered.

“I’m here,” Loki broke free from Frigga and quickly to his place by your bedside. He stroked your cheek gently. 

You were most certainly cold to the touch but it was nothing he couldn’t handle. 

“Looks like our child couldn’t wait to see us any longer,” You cracked a weak smile, trying to make light of the situation for his sake. 

Your attempt was promptly destroyed as a painful cry escaped your lips. A fresh wave of labor contractions washed over you. Your fists clenched around the bedsheets.

“Ah! Aaa!”

“Mother, you said there was something only I could do to help, what is it?” Loki asked desperately. 

He hated seeing you in so much physical pain. Not only were you dealing with the regular pains of childbirth, but you were dealing with the chilling side effects of giving birth to a half frost giant baby. Your whole body was shivering from the unnatural coldness that was radiating from your skin. Loki cursed his genes.

“It’s my theory that you can counteract the frost giant side effects the baby is having on her, by using the magic from your Jotun form,” Frigga answered him. “Again, it’s just a theory but I think it’s at least worth a shot.”

Loki glanced uncomfortably over at the medical personnel attending to his wife. He hated revealing his frost giant form in front of others. But if it could possibly save your life, he would do it in a heartbeat.

He released his Asgardian form and his true heritage spread itself across his body.

“It’s okay, ____,” He spoke gently down at you, taking your hand in his. His fingers intertwining with yours. “I’ll protect you.”

Tears unconsciously rolled down your cheeks. You nodded silently acknowledging his words, panting heavily as you struggled to regain your normal breathing pattern. To be honest you were terrified right now. You were in so much pain already, and you hadn’t even started officially pushing yet. On top of that, you were feeling sick as your body temperature was rapidly decreasing. But with Loki by your side reassuring you, you felt like everything was going to be all right in the end.

Starting at your fingertips where Loki was touching you, your skin color slowly began reverting back to its natural tone. It was almost as if Loki was drawing all the blueness and cold into himself. The longer this process went on the less your body was shivering. After hours of painful contractions coming and going, your body was completely rid of any blue discoloration and your body temperature worked to restore itself. Frigga’s theory appeared to be working. Even though you no longer matched him, Loki refused to let go of your hand and revert back to his Asgardian form out of fear that the baby’s side effects might reappear if he stopped. It was your life on the line, Loki wasn’t going to take any chances.

“How far along is she?” Frigga inquired from the doctor. 

It had been hours and yet the baby had yet to show. Though Loki’s Jotun magic seemed to be working against combatting your unnatural coldness, your condition still didn’t appear that great. You were ghostly pale and your breathing was alarming slow.

“She just reached 9 centimeters dilated, so she’s really close,” the doctor responded. “Once she hits 10 we’ll immediately start the pushing process.”

Loki looked down at his wife, pursing his lips after hearing what the doctor had said. You were clearly exhausted from being in labor for so long. 

“It’s okay, Loki,” You did your best to reassure him. “Our baby is almost here. I can’t wait to meet them. You know, I just realized we didn’t pick out baby names.”

He chuckled, “No we didn’t. Any suggestions?”

“Hm... I was thinking something like Fiske or Frey if it’s a boy,” You pondered. “Then if it’s a girl... I’ll let you choose.”

“I’ve always liked the name Asta,” Loki admitted.

“That’s a beautiful name,” You smiled up at him.

The smile quickly faded, however. Loki felt the grip you had on his hand tighten. His eyes filled with deep concern. 

“W-what’s wrong?” He inquired, quickly glancing at you then at the doctor then back at you. 

You felt a sharp pain down in your pelvic region.

“Ah! Ha! Uh! Aaaaa!” You cried unable to answer him.

“She’s fully dilated,” the doctor told them. “The baby’s coming now.”

Medical personnel swarmed around you. They would’ve moved Loki out the way if it weren’t for you so desperately grasping onto his hand so tightly.

“Push,” the doctor instructed firmly.

You took a deep breath before pushing with all your might. It hurt so much. Much more than anything you experienced before.

“Again,” requested the doctor.

You didn’t want to. You really didn’t want to. But you knew your child’s life depended on it. The thought gave you the strength to press on.

“Un! Aa!” You cried again as you gave another push.

“You’re doing great, ____,” the doctor nodded approvingly. “The baby’s crowning. I can see it’s head. Once you push the head out it's smooth sailing from there.”

You continued pushing until finally, finally, the baby’s head popped out. You cried once more but this time it was with a mixture of relief as well as pain. 

The baby’s wails rang out in the room as the doctor gently pulled the rest of it out with the aid of one final push for you.

“Congratulations, ____ you gave birth to a beautiful baby boy,” the doctor announced, as the nurses quickly took him from the doctor’s hand to clean him off.

Loki shuttered. He couldn’t believe it. He was a father now. You had a boy!

“You did so well,” Loki praised you, reverting back to his Asgardian form. He kissed the top of your palm as your hand loosened its grip on his.

Frigga smiled wide. She was so proud of both of you. Her first grandchild!

A nurse handed you your baby, wrapped securely in a little green blanket. You finally released Loki’s hand to accept him in both of your arms.

“He’s so beautiful,” You cooed, staring down at the blue baby in your embrace. “He’s definitely his father’s son.”

“I’m sorry...” Loki pursed his lips.

“Don’t be,” You replied, not taking your eyes off the child. “I love both him and you just the way you are. Frost giant or Asgardian. All that matters is that the two of you are mine.”

Once again Loki was reminded that he really didn’t deserve you. He kissed your forehead before leaning over and getting a better look at his son. Words couldn’t describe how happy he felt at that very moment. If someone had told him he would ever feel this amount of happiness in his life a few years back when he was sitting in a jail cell he would’ve called them insane. He was so grateful for you and Frigga not giving up on him.

Frigga stared at the pair of you. Your happiness made her smile as she patiently waited for a turn to hold the baby. Her smile quickly vanished though as she witnessed you starting to rapidly become blue again.

“Loki!” She shouted.

Out of nowhere, you once more felt a sharp pain in your pelvic region. You painful cry escaped your lips.

“W-what’s going on?” You asked, tone full of panic.

The doctor looked down. His eyes widened. “Why didn’t you guys tell us you were having twins?”

“What?!” You and Loki cried in unison.


	10. Crumbling Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After you give birth to a second child, Loki's worst fear starts to come to fruition. He doesn't take it well either. Understandably...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so there is definitely going to be at least one more chapter to this story. This chapter went a direction I hadn't originally planned.

Everything seemed to happen at once. A nurse quickly snatched your baby away from your arms and handed him to Frigga. Loki transformed back into his Jotun form and intertwined your fingers back with his to stop the returning side effects. With your free hand, you gripped the bed sheets as you gave a hard push.

“Ha! Aaaaah!” You cried, tears streaming down your face.

“You’re doing great,” the doctor reassures you. “I see the baby’s head. Just a couple more pushes.”

Within mere moments later, a fresh pair of screams and wails could be heard as the second baby entered the world.

“It’s a girl!” the doctor announced as the nurse took her out of his arms to clean her.

Loki stared in amazement. You had produced him not one but two children. He was now a father of two kids. He couldn’t believe it.

Your grip on Loki’s hand loosened. Your breath steadily became more shallow as your vision started to blur. You couldn't really hear what the others in the room were saying. It was quite clear to you what was happening, but you had something you absolutely had to get across to Loki before you went. You mustered up the last of your strength.

“It's not your fault, Loki. I love you,” you whispered before your consciousness slipped away.

Loki looked down as his ears picked up your words. His eyes immediately widened in horror.

“Guys!” Loki shouted in alarm, instantly reverting back to his Asgardian form.

The doctor rushed to your side. “This isn’t good. We’re losing her.”

“What?!” Loki cried. “No. No. No. No.”

Nurses pushed him aside as they swarmed around you. Loki started physically panicking as he watched. The nurse who cleaned off his daughter came up to him and placed the child in his arms.

“I need you four to get out of here now,” she said firmly, giving a quick glance to Frigga.

“No! I am not leaving! I’m not leaving her! I-" Loki started to protest when suddenly he was standing in a completely different room.

Frigga grimaced as she lowered her hand. Teleportation magic drained a whole lot of energy from its caster. Thus it was typically used only in extreme emergencies. But she knew if push came to shove her younger son wouldn’t have left the medical ward without a fight. That wasn’t going to help the situation.

Loki was furious when he realized what his mother did. “Take me back!”

“No,” Frigga refused firmly. “If you really want to help ____ then let the medical personnel aid her without interruption and calm yourself down.”

“How am I supposed to remain calm in this situation?! ____ is dying!” Loki snapped, tears streaming down his face. He collapsed to his knees, still securely holding his daughter in his arms. “She’s dying. I- I can’t lose her.”

“Nothing is for certain,” The queen lowered herself to her son’s level, cradling her grandson in front of her. “____ is a strong girl. I know that’s she’s fighting with everything thing she’s got right now.”

“Please don’t give me false hope,” Loki’s voice cracked.

Frigga had seen many faces from her son over the years. She had even seen him sorrowful and hurt before. But none of those expressions compared to the utterly tortured one that he donned before her now.

__

The next morning the Avengers arrived back at headquarters, once again victorious, and this time they returned with smiles on their faces. Thor, Natasha, and Wanda broke off from the others to come find you. They rushed to the medical ward only to discover Loki sitting right outside on a bench hunched over with his head in hands. If he realized the three of them approaching he showed no sign of it.

“Oh no,” Thor whispered before rushing up to his brother’s side.

“Loki?” Wanda asked as she and Nat came up behind him. “What happened?”

“Congrats Thor,” Loki spoke not looking up at them. “You’re an uncle.”

“That’s great!” Thor beamed. “So is it a boy or a girl?”

“Both,” He responded. “____ gave birth to a healthy pair of twins.”

The three Avengers’ eyes widened in shock.

“What about ____?” Nat inquired almost too afraid to ask.

Loki didn’t respond. Instead, he broke down weeping again.

Thor was painfully taken aback. He had seen Loki look hurt, betrayed, and sad, but he had never seen him cry.

Wanda shuttered. Her hand flying to cover her mouth.

Nat walked passed him and started heading for medical ward’s doors.

“Don’t!” Loki snapped. “If they won’t let me in why would they let you?”

“So she is still alive?” Nat inquired, reading between the lines.

“For now,” Loki clenched his fists together.

“Then why are you acting like she’s already dead!” Nat snapped back.

Loki swiftly stood up, making his way until he stood directly in front of her. His eyes brimmed with a mixture of rage and sorrow.

“Don’t you dare lecture me on how I should be acting right now,” He warned angrily. “Don’t force me to possess false hope.”

Natasha swallowed, tensing up for what Loki was going to do next. But to her surprise he just walked away, vanishing into the thin air.

“Please forgive my brother,” Thor pursed his lips. “He loves ____ very, very much. So much so I honestly envy him at times. This is tragically his greatest fear come to fruition.”

__

“Mother, you can rest now. I’ll take over from here,” Loki said reappearing in his room.

He glanced over the babies sleeping soundly in the cradles he had constructed out of magic. Frigga had been watching them while Loki took time to calm down. Not that he ever truly calmed down.

“You look like you need sleep more than I do,” She said, coming up and brushing a stray strand of hair out of his face.

“I’m not sleeping until I know whether...” He trailed off. “Thor’s back by the way. You should go see him.”

Frigga knew it was best not to push him to do anything right now. “Okay. I’ll be nearby if you need me.”

Loki nodded as she took her leave. He watched her until he silhouette disappeared behind the closing door. He then shifted his gaze back over at the twins. Taking a deep breath, he hesitantly walked over to them. It was his first time being completely alone with them.

Both babies were frost giant blue, but it was the first time he looked at someone of his own race and thought they were beautiful. Not only that, but it was the first time he felt any sort of feelings of love towards anyone from his true heritage, including himself.

His mind drifted to the first time you had discovered that he wasn’t actually Asgardian but rather the monster that everyone feared. He had still been in his jail cell, naively thinking he was completely alone.

Loki had been in the midst of doing a lot of self-reflecting and honestly, self-loathing. He transformed into his Jotun form, despising the color of his skin. He was a monster both inside and out.

Suddenly he heard a gasping noise from behind him. To his absolute horror, he turned around and saw you staring back at him with your mouth completely ajar.

“Things make so much more sense now,” You breathed, drawing closer to his cell.

Loki’s face darkened. “Yeah, now you know I really am the monster everyone says I am.”

“No, not that,” You rolled your eyes. “What you’ve been through and how you reacted. It all makes sense now. Even if your actions aren’t really justifiable, your pain is. It also makes sense why Odin clearly, and might I say unjustly, favored Thor all this time.”

Utter shock spread across his face. That had not been the reaction he was expecting.

“Your skin is so beautiful,” You murmured. “I wish I could touch it. I’ll suppress my urges though because you’d get in a whole heck of a lot more trouble if someone found me physically in your cell.”

“So would you,” Loki noted.

“True,” You admitted.

“You’re not turned off or frightened by me?” He inquired baffled.

“Nope,” You replied without any hesitation. “So tell me, when did you first find out yourself? Have you always known?”

“N-no,” Loki replied cautiously, still waiting for the moment you’d show signs of disgust. “I found out just before Thor was banished to Midgard and I started doing the things that put me in here.”

“Tell me how you felt. I want to know your story from your point of view,” You pressed on, seeming genuinely curious.

“Why?” Loki inquired entirely skeptical of you.

Why you suddenly showed up in his life to visit him in prison greatly perplexed him. As far as he could recall he had never met you before. To his great chagrin, you never directly answered his question about why you were doing what you were whenever he asked. But nonetheless, you came back day after day, usually with Frigga, and talked to him.

“I thought I was being obvious. Even your mother picked up on it and confronted me on the matter,” You pouted childishly. The pout was quickly replaced with a grin though. “I’m in love with you, Loki. Did you really not notice?”

His eyes widened in shock. That was the last thing he had expected you to say. He resisted the idea, even though he could clearly tell that you weren’t lying when you confessed just now.

“B-but you just found out I’m actually a frost giant!” He objected. His defenses were high.

“Frost giant. Asgardian. That’s what you are not who you are. My affection for you does not rest upon your race,” You informed him warmly. “Besides, Frigga, I’m assuming, knew you what you were all these years and she loved you nonetheless. Why can’t I do the same?”

Loki couldn’t believe it. But for whatever reason, he starting telling you his story. He hadn’t realized it at the time but it was that day when you accepted everything about him, that his built up walls started crumbling.

A cry from his baby girl shook him out of his memories. He instinctively picked her up. Almost immediately she calmed down as he rocked her back and forth in his arms. He breathed a sigh of relief.

He still couldn’t believe it. Ever since he found out that he was actually a frost giant, he never thought for a second that he’d be a father. That someone would love him enough to bear his children. Per usual, you went above and beyond for him by giving him not only one child but two.

A single tear dripped down silently from his eyelid, landing on the small child’s cheek.

“I’m so sorry,” He whispered, voice cracking. He gently wiped the tear off her cheek. “If it wasn’t for me your mother wouldn’t be struggling for her life right now. I’m sorry people will judge you and your brother solely based on my genes. I’m so, so sorry.”

Suddenly the baby girl’s eyes flashed open. Loki cursed himself for waking her. But then he froze, holding his breath as he stared down at her. She had your eyes, and as she was staring back at Loki her blue skin transformed to match his. Though not a hundred percent sure, Loki swore he saw her smile up at him for a brief second.

”Please, ____,” Loki begged aloud. “You can’t leave us just yet. You haven’t even laid eyes on how beautiful your daughter is. Our kids need their mother. I need you.”

\--

"How well is she actually fairing?" Thor inquired.

"The information we've received about her condition has been minimal," Frigga sighed. "Honestly, it's not that surprising though. It's only been a couple of hours since we were kicked out. She gave birth to the second child fairly shortly before you guys returned."

The pair of them fell silent. Frigga rubbed in between her eyes.

"How long have you been awake?" He asked concerned.

"It's been a little over 24 hours," The Queen admitted. "____ was in labor for a pretty long time, then I watched the twins as Loki took some time to cool his head."

"You should rest," Thor told her.

"I should, but I'm not going to," Frigga replied. "If either ____ or Loki need me, I have to be there for them."

"Didn't you mention being worried that Loki was refusing to sleep. I wonder where he gets it from?" Thor responded sarcastically. "Sleep, mother. I'll be there for ____ and Loki in the meantime. If something comes up, I'll fetch you immediately."

"Fine," She gave in. She was honestly exhausted. "You better be true to your word."

"I will. Now go," Thor chuckled. 


	11. I Have A Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki remains glued to his children’s side as they are the only things anchoring him in his moment of weakness. The time is steadily approaching when he’ll find out whether you’ll be back safe in his arms or tragically leaving him to be a single father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! Special thanks to those of you who read this far! You guys are the best!

Loki hadn’t taken his eyes off his children. They were his only comfort. The only things keeping him grounded when he desperately needed it.

Suddenly Thor busted in. His abruptness woke the twins and they started crying. Loki glared at him. Why did his brother always act without thinking things through.

“S-sorry,” Thor apologized. “It’s just that ____ -”

“Take care of the twins,” Loki instructed the instant he heard your name. He vanished into thin air.

“But, I-“ Thor tried to respond but Loki was already gone. 

Thor nervously eyed the crying babies. He had never dealt with newborns before.

“M-mother!” He called out desperately.

__

Loki showed up outside the medical ward where the doctor from before was already waiting for him. To Loki's chagrin, he couldn’t read the man’s facial expression.

“Please be direct with me,” Loki told him. “Don’t beat around the bush trying to be conscientious of my feelings.”

“I have no intentions other than getting straight to the point,” the doctor responded flatly. 

Loki swallowed in nervous anticipation. A part of him didn’t want to know. To instead remain in ignorant bliss.

“Is she dead?” he barely forced the question out of his mouth.

“Your wife is very much alive,” the doctor said, cracking Loki a slight smile. "She's quite the fighter."

The doctor opened his mouth to say more, but Loki heard all that he needed to hear. He rushed passed the man and into the medical ward, running to the room where you were. He burst in to find your gorgeous pair of eyes staring straight back at him. His whole body shuttered in relief the moment he caught sight of you.

“____,” Loki breathed heading straight into your outstretched arms.

“We did it,” You said, running your fingers through his hair as you held him your embrace. “We’re officially parents.”

Loki, wasting no time, proceeded to kiss you, cupping your face in his hands. You closed your eyes and kissed him back. As you did you could feel his body trembling.

“Loki, what’s the matter?” You pulled back. Your eyes widened in alarm. “Did the second baby not make it?”

“No, love, she’s fine,” Loki quickly eased your concern.

She? Loki said she. You had a daughter!

“I’m just so relieved right now, my body can’t seem to keep its composure,” He continued before planted another kiss on your lips. “We are adopting the rest of our children. I can’t go through this again.”

You chuckled, smiling softly before kissing him back. “I think I can agree to that.”  
__

To say Odin was less than thrilled when you arrived back on Asgard a few days later was a bit of an understatement.

“Four weeks! A whole month, my family has been absent from Asgard without saying so much as a word to me!” Odin bellowed.

“We’re awfully sorry, dear,” Frigga apologized. “It was an emergency situation on Midgard and we had to leave right away.”

“I understand Thor and Loki, but why did you and my absent daughter-in-law have to go?” Odin asked, not appeased that easily.

“Hey, I’m on your side,” Loki threw his hands up innocently. “I didn’t want them to come with us either. Thor and the girls were the ones who were adamant about bringing them along.”

Thor rolled his eyes. Of course Loki would throw the three of you under the bus. Even if his younger brother turned over a new leaf, some habits just died hard.

“What was that, Loki?” You said, entering the throne room with two bundles in your arms. “You and I both know things wouldn’t have worked out as well as it did if Frigga and I hadn’t gone with you two.”

Loki bit his bottom lip, suppressing a nervous chuckle. Oops. He knew you were going to scold him for saying that later. Not that he would mind seeing your riled up expression. You were so cute when you were annoyed with him.

“What’s this?” Odin inquired, referring to the bundles in your arms.

“Hopefully something that will appease your anger a bit,” You replied, smiling. You handed the king your son. “Your first two grandchildren, your Majesty. Frey and Asta.”

Odin’s facial expression softened as looked down at the bundle in his hands. 

“Two?” He asked in shock. “And you’re still alive?”

“Odin...” Frigga chided.

“Yes, I pulled through in the end,” you giggled as you felt Loki come up behind you, placing his hands on your shoulders.

“They’re not blue,” Odin murmured in amazement.

“Odin, really!” Frigga snapped, exasperated. “Learn to have more tact.”

Loki’s body tensed behind you as Odin said those words. It bothered him that people like or worse than Odin would judge his children for being half frost giant. But you took pride in the fact that they were of Jotun descendant. It meant that they were a product of Loki, and you loved that.

“They can be,” You replied. “Is that a problem for you, my King?”

“Of course not. I just meant...,” Odin paused and thought better of what he was going to say next. “Never mind.”

You couldn’t help but let out a small triumphant smirk.

“I love you so much,” Loki whispered in your ear before snatching his daughter out of your hands.  
__

[Ten Years Later]

“SNAKE!” a palace maid burst into your office. “A giant snake was released in the courtyard and is causing destruction all over the place!”

You and Loki exchanged a knowing look.

“The twins,” Loki smiled, barely suppressing his urge to laugh. 

“They are so your children,” You said, placing your hands on your hips. 

“Darling, you should have known the god of mischief can’t have eight children and have none of them inherit my mischievous spirit,” Loki replied innocently. “This was bound to happen and you know it.”

“Just come on,” You rolled your eyes and grabbed his wrist. “It’s better that we get to them before Odin does. He’s still not over their last stunt.”

The two of you ran to the courtyard where the largest snake the pair of you had ever laid your eyes on was slithering about.

“I have to admit, they did a good job,” Loki remarked.

“Now is not the time to be impressed,” You chided.

“You’re right. You’re right,” He chuckled. 

“Frey! Asta!” You called out. “I know you’re nearby watching this. Come out wherever you are.”

Two ten-year-old kids with raven black hair suddenly appeared before you. They smiled innocently up at their parents. It was a smile you had seen many times before on Loki. The pair were most definitely their father's children.

“Your mother and I would just like to let you know that we’re very proud of you and you did a really good job with the snake,” Loki spoke first.

“Thank you, Papa!” the twins beamed in unison.

“Loki...” You groaned. It was like dealing with three children instead of two.

“What, I’m only speaking the truth,” Loki threw his hands up, knowing there was no way you were actually upset with them over this.

“Fine,” You admitted. “You guys did a wonderful job with the snake. I can tell you’re taking your magic lessons seriously. Just get rid of it before your grandfather finds out.”

The twins smiled wide upon receiving their mother's praise. They nodded, before turning and waving their hands. The snake instantly disappeared.

“Now run off and go get ready for bed,” You instructed. “Your father and I will be there soon to tuck you and the others in.”

“Okay, Mama!” Asta said, hugging you while Frey hugged Loki.

They quickly scampered off down the hall. Once they were out of sight, you looked back over at the courtyard. It was an utter wreck. Your in-laws weren't going to be very happy with you if they saw this. Your gaze shifted to your husband.

“Fix this,” You told him. “I’m going to go help the rest of our children get into their pjs.”

“Aw, but I wanted to admire our children's handiwork a little while longer,” Loki chuckled softly, taking your hand and kissing the top of your knuckles.

You rolled your eyes.

"See you in a bit," You said before walking off.  
__

Over the past ten years, Loki and you had adopted six other children from all across the galaxy. Each of them a different race. They were orphans who had either tragically lost or were abandoned by their parents. You hadn’t expected to adopt so many but you and Loki couldn’t seem to help yourselves whenever you came across one. This probably meant more children were going to come your way in the foreseeable future.

“I have a dream,” Loki spoke, staring at you as the two of you laid in your bed after putting each of your kids asleep.

“What’s that?” You inquired softly, staring back at him.

“That through our children Asgard will become a more accepting and diverse place,” He answered. “That they will grow up without experiencing the pain of being different from everyone else.”

“I don’t know if we can protect them from everyone’s opinions. People will express their disdain for our family for being different from what they’re used to,” You stroked his cheek gently. “But I have faith Asgard will one day be the place you dream of. People can change and become more accepting. Take your father for example. I have no doubt he loves each of his grandchildren, and he’s done his best to reconcile with you.”

Loki pulled you into his arms. He murmured the words you had heard him say so many times before, “I’m so lucky to have you as my wife. I don’t deserve you.”

“I know,” You replied, flashing him a cheeky smile. You then took on a more serious but gentle tone, “But remember, if you hadn’t saved my life all those years ago and chosen to turn your life around for the better, neither I or our kids would be here today. Give yourself a little credit.”

He immediately crushed your lips into a deep and passionate kiss. You closed your eyes, returning the kiss. After several minutes, he pulled back.

“I love you,” Loki said softly.

“I love you too,” you smiled breathlessly. "And I always will."


End file.
